I Fell in Love with a Superhero's Sidekick
by LadyFrederic
Summary: My idea of how Barbara Gordon became Batgirl. What if she was asked to join the Bat-Team? Mostly Richard/Barbara. Rated T for some language and more mature circumstances.
1. Chapter 1

The television flashed with brilliance as the ten o'clock newsreel came on. I plopped on my bed, popcorn in hand, ready to watch for anything about Batman and—more specifically—Robin. The colors lit up my darkened room, and I prayed that Dad wouldn't see the faint flashes coming from under my door.

Finally, the introduction shots started for GC News. I leaned forward, eagerly observing the intro for my favorite part. It came, and I silently gasped as Robin's face filled the screen. It was gone in a flash, but the image was still fresh in my mind—the dark hair, black cape, red suit. The Boy Wonder filled my head.

I almost missed the first few lines of the captions rolling across the bottom of the screen. I managed to catch Batman's name, though, so I knew he would be on. I lied back on the bed and waited. I waited through boring expos, chats with the Mayor, and even the recap of GSU's big football game last Saturday. All for Robin.

I was half asleep when the large caption at the top of the screen caught my attention. "Dark Knight and Boy Wonder." I bolted upright and immediately stared at the television with rapt attention.

Vicki Vales' smiling face took over. "To begin our midnight reel, let me introduce to you the man who saves our city time and again." Batman's face filled the left-hand corner of the screen. The captions were just a few seconds behind and my eyes darted back and forth between the words and the reporter's figure. "Now, we all know how important Batman is to Gotham—but let's not forget his right-hand man. Tonight, our feature will be about Robin, our vigilante's go-to-guy." I leaned closer to the television set, if that was possible, and watched an hour long segment on my favorite person: Robin.


	2. Chapter 2

"Barbara!" I jolted awake. Dad stood over me, glaring. "Do you know what time it is?" I guiltily shook my head. "It's ten-thirty. Do you want to go back to your dorm or not?"

"Sorry, Dad. I'll start getting ready." He stormed out, slamming the door. I knew he wasn't really mad, though. Even though Dad was the police commissioner, he was just a big softie. Nevertheless, I packed my things up quickly. I didn't want to go back to GSU's campus. This Thanksgiving break had been so peaceful and relaxing. Going back to being a junior in college was not going to be fun.

Once I was finished, I rolled my suitcase into the hallway. Dad was standing in front of the door to the kitchen, apparently waiting for me. He smiled softly and held the door open for me. I walked inside and was immediately hit by a wave of spices.

Mom had made special pancakes, filled with the leftover spices from her pumpkin pie. I grinned and took a plate. The cakes were amazing and I finished with ease. After breakfast, it was time for me to go. I gave my parents hugs and headed to my bike.

The motorcycle I rode was fairly large, but sleek. It was jet black and curved attractively in many places. There was a small rack in the back that held my suitcase, and I slotted my pack into the notches and strapped it in. Revving the engine, I took off in a flurry of gravel.

Soon I was on the highway, making my way back to campus. The wind blew through my long red hair and I felt like I was flying. All too soon, though, my exit came and I had to get off.


	3. Chapter 3

I walked up to my dorm, hoping that my roommate wasn't already there. She would always be putting me down in a snobbish way—even at our age. I made my way into the hallway, still decorated for Thanksgiving. When I got to my room and opened the door, I was disgusted.

Bette—my roommate—was there; and with her 'boyfriend'. He would never call them a couple, but everyone knew that Bette had a thing with rich-boy Richard Grayson. As I slammed the door, Bette and Richard broke apart. "Oh, Barbara," Bette stuttered. "I didn't know you were coming today…"

"Obviously. Hey, _Dick_," I spat.

"Hey, Babs." I glared. "Gotta go, Bette. See ya." Richard hopped onto the window frame. He turned to me. "Nice posters," he mocked, leaping away before I could say anything.

I ran over to the window and slammed it shut. I knew he was talking about my Robin posters and it made me furious to know that he could make fun of me for that at any time.

After violently banging the window Richard just leapt out of—from the second story, no less—I fumed about the room, slamming objects in their place and fiercely avoiding Bette's gaze. I knew she would just become snooty and passive aggressive soon anyway, so it didn't bother me to treat her so rudely. However, she was staying awfully quiet, and I thought Bette really was sorry. I stood in the middle of our dorm room awkwardly and was just about to apologize when she opened her own mouth.

"I don't know why you're so mean to him. _And_ me. It's none of your business who I date, and I don't appreciate you butting in like you did." She crossed her arms and placed a sour expression on her face. I glared in return.

"It kind of _is_ my business when you guys are making out in _our_ room. Besides, Richard is so stuck up and selfish he drives me crazy just standing there and being himself." I surprised myself by how calm my answer was—proud, but surprised.

"I think you're confusing stuck up for being used to the _better_ aspects of life," she smirked, standing up and smoothing her shirt.

I gaped at her. "No, I'm pretty sure that means about the same thing…"

"Whatever," she mumbled, and left, shutting the door with a crash and rolling her eyes. I sighed in exasperation and fell on my bed. I didn't get half-way to sleep before someone knocked on the door.

_She must've forgotten her keys_, I thought. Bette was extremely absent minded, and forgot her keys at least three times a week. So, when I opened the door to Richard, smiling broadly and smelling heavily of AXE, I was so shocked I didn't slam the door right in his egotistical, rich-boy face. When I finally came to my senses, I moved to close the door and said, "Bette's not here." However, an expensive shoe stopped me.

Richard pushed open the door and backed me up as he walked in broad strides to the middle of the room. "Who said I was looking for her? By the way, that's no way to treat a guest," he mocked, shaking his head. "No 'hello', no 'how are you'. Just a door to the face—well, at least an attempt." I mustered up my fiercest glare and launched it at him. "Oh, ow!" he said, backing up and feigning wincing. "What are we, in fifth grade?" he asked cheekily.

"Apparently," I spat back. He must've finally took notice of my impatience—or had decided he had annoyed me enough—because he softened his smile, winked, and left with a shout of, "See ya around, Babs." He shut the door with a resounding _click_.

I stared and stood in silence for a good two minutes before I realized what had just happened. Richard had waltzed in, made a complete fool out of me, and left; leaving me totally frazzled. Why had this boy bugged me so thoroughly, causing my ears to get warm and my arms to break out in goose-bumps after one minute in his company?

I shook my head and looked around the room. I felt sad and angry, especially since my face still felt hot and my stomach was churning from fury. I hated for people to catch me off guard and get under my skin—and I hated Richard even more than that. Overall, I was a melting pot of ferocity.

To decompress, I found my gymnastics leotard—simply a slick black design—and put it on, along with a pair of cozy sweatpants. I jogged the two miles over to the sports complex, stopping occasionally to watch some squirrels or rabbits frolicking about the campus. I got into the locker room and threw my sweatpants and shoes in my cubbyhole and headed to the gymnastics arena.

I immediately went over to floor, stretching my legs, arms, and back thoroughly. Already I felt better. I stood up, fell into a bridge-up, and kicked over with ease. I smiled, took a deep breath, and did a backward flip from my standing position. I heard some onlookers politely applaud just as I began running forward, completing a front handspring. I did a few back handsprings in succession, ending with a back tuck. I rolled forward onto my hands and walked a little bit before standing back up. Feeling much better, I walked over to the balance beam.

After completing my gymnastics work out, I went back to the locker room to grab my stuff. Seeing how it was nearly six o'clock, I made the short walk to the sports complex dining hall.

The hall was small, not really needing to be much bigger. The white brick walls were plastered with inspiring quotes and pictures, accompanied by snapshots of GSU's most well-known athletes. I smiled at the clerk and bought a turkey and cheese sandwich, an apple, and a large bottle of water.

I walked over to an empty table and sat down, glancing at the magazines the people before me had forgotten. There were three—Influential People in GC, National Geographic, and Woman's Vogue. I was never into fashion or physical science, so Influential People it was. I looked at the cover, and was immediately disgusted.

Richard Grayson's face filled the front cover—his perfect, flawless, big-headed, selfish, rich-boy face. I slid the magazine as far away from myself when another picture caught my eye. I pulled the magazine back and stared at the picture and caption, darting my eyes between them. Apparently there was an article inside about Robin. I turned to the correct page and read the article excitedly.

The entire article was only two pages—a fraction compared to the full ten page spread Richard had—but I drank it up, relishing every word. The author described his talents and abilities beautifully, letting the public know what I already knew: without Robin, Batman's success rate would not be as high. However, the highlight of the article was the full page photo that showcased an amazing action shot of Robin gliding between buildings with a wonderfully cocky and knowing smile. I melted inside and my heart increased in beats per minute. After meticulously observing the photo, picking out every detail and memorizing the shot until I was satisfied with how it looked in my head, I closed the magazine and put it back with the others.

I got up to leave the complex and when I left, I regretted not bringing a jacket. I had taken quite a bit of time, not finishing my meal until well after seven o'clock, and it had gotten incredibly chilly. I jogged back to my dorm, and was about halfway there when a man approached me. He had a full length jacket on with a hood and walked in a bowed manner. Against my better judgment, I stopped and approached him when he called out to me in a sick and scratchy voice.

"Hello, dearie," he cooed. "Aren't you a bit cold?" I nodded, not willing myself to speak to this slightly disturbing figure. "Come with me," he growled, grabbing my arm, "and I can warm you up real quick." My eyes went wide and I kicked at the man. He laughed quietly and simply grabbed my leg. The man pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket and locked my arm and leg together. As I lowered my jaw to scream, he stuffed a piece of foul-smelling cloth in my mouth that gagged me. He began dragging me off when there was a sudden rush of wind.

"Now, where are you taking her?" the new figure asked. I couldn't see him, but it was obviously a man by his voice tone. I heard the man who was holding onto me gulp and the newcomer chuckled. "Did you really think you would get away with this? This is a college campus after all… Did you think they wouldn't have their own police force? Granted, I'm just one man that watches these roads… but I'm enough for thugs like _you_."

The man who was holding me dropped me to the cement and I twisted my head sharply to watch the fight. It was dark, so the other man was hard to make out, but it was easy to tell that he was winning. Within a few seconds the man was handcuffed to a light pole with a message attached to him that probably noted that he should be taken to jail. My mystery savior approached me and undid my bonds with what seemed to be a laser cutter. As soon as the cuffs were off, I grabbed the gag out of my mouth and sat down with a shudder. My whole body was shaking and I stared off into the distance, imagining what would have happened to me if this man hadn't come to my rescue. Suddenly, I jumped and noticed that a black and yellow cape was draped over my shoulders, insulating my whole body and immediately warming me up. I looked down and the man knelt next to me.

"Are you alright?" he asked tenderly, rubbing my shoulders in an attempt to keep me from shaking even more violently.

"Yeah," I managed to mumble out. I glanced up at the man and my heart stopped. It was him. He was staring at me with big, beautiful, blue eyes that sparkled in the feeble lamplight. His dark, ebony hair, tousled stylishly across his face, was a little damp from sweat. His face was without blemish or flaw. The gloved hand that was still on my shoulder felt strong, but at this point, increasingly affectionate. His arms were extremely muscular, and his red outfit enhanced his chest. He wore a red top, black pants, boots, and gloves, and a yellow belt. I stared at the small yellow 'R' insignia on his chest and gasped.

When my breath stopped and I simply stared, Robin's expression changed from mild concern to extreme worry. "Are you sure? You're not breathing…." I took note of the fret in his voice and made my lungs begin to function again. "Oh. So what happened?" I realized he was speaking to me and I then had to go through the difficult process of finding my vocal chords and teaching them how to work.

"I was upset, so I went to the sports complex to work out," I mumbled, barely making sense. "Working out always makes me feel better. After that, I went to the cafeteria in the complex and had dinner. I got a little preoccupied with an article about…. Uh…." I stopped, not wanting to admit it was an article about _him_. "Anyway, the article was really interesting, and I didn't notice that it was getting late. It was cold, so I ran back. My dorm's just another mile away from here. Then, that man came up to me." I shuddered. "He was walking bowed and had a cracked voice—I thought he was just an old homeless guy who was sick and wanted something to eat. I know I shouldn't have gone up to him…" I trailed off, imagining how Dad would be yelling at me right now. "So, I walked up to him and he grabbed me. I tried to fight him off, but he grabbed my leg and cuffed them together. I tried to scream but he gagged me. He was about to drag me off to who knows where when you showed up. If you hadn't…" Again my voice stopped and I shook again. I peeked up at Robin and his brow was furrowed.

"Well, at least you know never to approach this type of man again," he said. He smiled dreamily and I melted at the sight. "Here," he whispered, standing up and offering me his hand. I grabbed it and he pulled me up quickly. I began to take off the cape and he held up a gloved palm. "Keep it. You need it more than I do and I've got loads." I stood there quietly for a moment, and then went to walk away.

"Thank you very much," I said and started walking. Suddenly he called for me to stop.

"Would you like me to walk with you?" he asked.

I halted, my breath stopping as well. "I wouldn't mind, but you're probably extremely busy and I'd hate to take up your time." I began walking again, my heart screaming in protest. Again his voice brought me to a standstill and he was unexpectedly beside me.

"It's no trouble at all." He smiled.

We walked the mile back to my dorm room in silence and once we got there we both stopped. "Where's your room?" Robin asked. I told him it was on the second floor and pointed to the window—the same window Richard had jumped out of this morning. "Hold on," he murmured before pulling out a grapple gun and taking hold of my waist. In seconds we hung in front of my window and I pulled it open. I hopped inside and again tried to give him his cape back. "It can be a memento," he chuckled, gazing dazzlingly into my eyes. "Well…" he began, and I waited patiently for him to finish, my heart meanwhile raging a battle with my brain. "I hope I get to see you again sometime." He looked toward the ground when I called for him to wait. Robin looked expectantly at me and I leaned forward.

My heart won the battle of whether I should attempt to kiss my savior or not. My lips touched his and my heart rate increased dramatically. I squeezed his cape close to my chest and I opened my eyes to see that his were closed. I closed mine again and then felt his hand slip around my neck and pull me closer. I fell into the kiss and opened my mouth, letting in his tongue which had been begging for entry. After a time that seemed much too short, we broke apart. When I regained my breath, I looked out the window and saw he was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke with a start as my alarm went off. It was Saturday and my clock was set to go off at eight thirty so I couldn't sleep the whole day away. I quickly turned off the loud beeps and glanced over at Bette's bed. Her figure was laying there, the movement of her breathing seeming normal and constant. I let out a sigh of relief. There was always hell to pay when I accidentally woke her up.

As quietly as I could, I got up and started getting ready for the day. I ran through the events of the night before, playing through the last part particularly slowly. Robin hadn't been my first kiss, but it was certainly my favorite. But just then, I was afraid I had simply imagined the whole thing—I had dreamed of the Boy Wonder before. I immediately ran over to my closet and saw the black and yellow cape sitting sadly on the floor. I pulled it out and felt the material, stroking it and running the supple material through my fingers. It was sturdy and from my studies of all things Robin, I knew it wasn't flammable. I marveled at how the cape was made of only one piece of material but was colored in the black and yellow. I wrapped it around my shoulders and inhaled deeply; it took me back to last night, how he calmly lifted me up from the ground and strongly held onto my waist. After relishing our kiss again, I neatly folded the cloth and placed it lovingly in my closet.

I got ready, putting my long red hair up in a ponytail. I put on a pair of jeans and a loose-fitting tank-top and jacket. After slipping on my tennis shoes, I grabbed my backpack and phone, deciding to head to the local mall to kill some time before heading to the sports complex again.

I walked around campus before going to the bus stop. It was a beautiful November morning, the leaves still falling and the crisp breeze not too chilly. Unfortunately, the morning became much uglier the moment I ran into Richard.

"Babs!" he exclaimed, making a beeline for me, totally ditching the girl he had just been romancing. I rolled my eyes and attempted to calm myself before he got to me.

"Barbara Gordon," he said with a sigh, standing back and looking me over.

"What?" I asked, knowing I would regret the decision to humor him.

"I just wanted to ask you if you had a good night yesterday." I stopped breathing, staring straight ahead. Did he know something? Had he seen? I shook my head. There was no way.

"Yeah, I guess. Why?" My voice began riding on the tone of suspicious.

"Oh. No reason…" His voice trailed off as if he was pondering something.

"Well," I began, "if that's all, I'll be going now." Suddenly he called out to me.

"Babs! Wait." I stopped and rolled my eyes again.

"What?" I asked, exasperation flooding my voice.

"I was just wondering if you would join me for dinner tonight." I stared at the boy. Just how dumb was he, really?

"Uh, no thank you," I replied. "Besides, aren't you with Bette?" He shook his head.

"I broke up with her last night. So…" He wiggled his eyebrows up and down and I felt my ears heat up; he really was annoying.

"No. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be late for my bus." He chuckled smugly and I whipped around to face him. "What is so funny?" I practically screamed.

"Well," he started. "If you were trying for the ten fifteen bus, you just missed it." Just then a bus rolled down the street away from the bus stop and I checked my watch. It was ten twenty. I glared at the boy and he started laughing. "If you want I can give you a ride, since, you know, I made you miss your bus." I titled my head to the side skeptically. I didn't know if I could withstand being with this child for the half-hour ride it took to get to the mall, but I didn't want to walk. I weighed my options. I could just ignore him. But it wouldn't kill me to walk…

"I don't know…" I started. He then grabbed my arm and dragged me off to the parking lot.

"Oh, I insist," he said. I rolled my eyes once again.

He eventually let go of my arm and left me following. It took about two minutes to get to the parking lot when I realized something—I could've driven myself. True, I would've had to find a parking spot and I wasn't even supposed to have a vehicle, but I would've preferred to face the repercussions. He walked around the lot for a bit, looking for his car and finally found it. Richard began walking toward a black Corvette convertible. My eyes bulged and I had to keep my jaw from dropping.

I got inside the leather interior and marveled at the car. You shouldn't be surprised, Barbara, I told myself. He is a billionaire's son. But still; the car took my breath away. Richard turned on the engine and revved it expertly. "Bruce gave this to me as a birthday present," he explained. "Best gift yet," he added cockily.

He pulled out onto the highway, pushing the speed limit. Again, I wasn't surprised. The top was up and on the inside of this luxury, wealthy car, the silence was nearing extremely awkward. He seemed quieter, concentrating and not attempting to impress or flirt with me. The change was welcome, but I felt that I was being ignored. That bugged me and my ears turned slightly red. Richard glanced over and chuckled. "What?" I asked, ensuring that my ears turned scarlet.

"Nothing," he replied. "I just think it's cute the way your ears turn red. Most girls' faces blush—it's just different." He kept his eyes on the road the whole time. "So…." We again sat in silence. "How was your break?"

I pondered this seemingly normal question and thought about my answer. "It was nice. My dad actually got a break from work and my mom baked the dinner. We usually just stay together and don't do a lot of extended family things, so that was nice. What about you? How is Thanksgiving with playboy Mr. Wayne?" I tried to get my voice to sound playful, but it didn't really work out.

"He actually kept his girlfriends away this year. We had a nice dinner that Alfred cooked. The turkey was superb, the pumpkin pie was spectacular. Just like it always is…" The tone of his voice got almost sad at the end and for a moment I felt a pang of sympathy for Richard. Then he added, "But hey, it's nice to always have great food, great women, a great life!" My sympathy, quite literally exploded into tiny bits that I imagined myself slicing to pieces and sending to an incinerator.

For the rest of the trip I was fuming, crossing my arms and uncrossing them, glaring out of the window all the while. Richard, to break the stillness, turned on the radio. To my surprise he went to the most popular country station—something I wouldn't have pegged him for. I actually didn't mind this type of music and calmed down a little; but I didn't forget the comment he had made.

We finally got to the mall and I got out with a murmur of 'Thanks' and a slam of his precious car door. I walked into the mall, still fuming.

As it was almost eleven, I was just beginning to get hungry, since I hadn't had breakfast. I went into the food court and went to the nearest sub sandwich shop and ordered. After devouring my sandwich, I went shopping.

I walked around a bit, going into various clothing and shoe stores before finally heading to my favorite shop; a gigantic, always filled, bookshop. I was an avid reader, and could, quite honestly, spend an entire day in this shop. Books take you away, to magical landscapes, dark alleyways, enchanting castles, and futuristic space adventures. There isn't really one genre I enjoy the best—mostly just a variety of them all.

I spent a good chunk of my time here; and only left when my stomach insisted I get something to eat. I went back to the food court and purchased some cheese pizza and a small salad. I ate and watched the other shoppers walk by. There were elderly couples, teenagers roving, whiny children bawling to go home, and even the occasional person I knew, here with their boyfriend or girlfriend. It made me slightly jealous that I came here alone—and always had in the past. But, deep down, I knew there was only one person I would want here with me anyway.

I finished and threw away my trash. I checked my phone and saw it was almost eight o'clock. I sighed and rolled my eyes, hoping I wouldn't get attacked again—but slightly hoping I'd get the chance to see him again.

I made it to the bus stop without incident and even got partially back to my dorm before my trip became eventful. I was a little ways away, but I could see a man approaching a woman. She shook her head and started running away when he launched himself at her. I sprinted to the fight going on and came to a screeching halt. "STOP!" I shouted and the man immediately looked up. He smiled at me, revealing crooked, yellowing teeth.

"Look, little missy," he growled. "I only wanted to take one, but I can take you too, if you really want me to…" I rolled my eyes and the training Dad put me through took over. This man wasn't ready for me—last night I had been caught off guard, unprepared. Tonight, it was different. I took my stance and as the man approached me I kicked him squarely in the jaw, sending him reeling backwards. He staggered to a kneeling position and I kicked him in the side. He flailed back and onto the concrete, unconscious but still breathing. I pulled out my phone and called the police. Then, I came towards the girl and mimicked what Robin had done for me. I took off my jacket, draped it over her shoulders, and knelt down next to her.

"Are you okay?" I asked, in what I hoped was a soft tone.

"Yeah…" she mumbled and began crying, stuffing her head into my chest and giving me a huge hug. I cradled her like that until the police came.

The report was made, my statement was taken, and the girl was carted off in the ambulance. She couldn't have been any older than eighteen and I felt very bad for her. I began walking back to my dorm and got inside, noticing that Bette wasn't here, when there was a slight tap on the window. I looked curiously outside and saw it was him. I ran over to the window and wrenched it open. He hopped inside and peered around the room before looking at me. "I was watching you tonight," he finally said, his voice sounding even more beautiful than I remembered. His big blue eyes gleamed even in the darkness of the room and he smiled. "I was impressed by how you took charge of the situation. You've got skills." I smiled shyly, my ears turning crimson. He chuckled softly and walked towards me. "It's so cute that you're ears turn red like that…" His comment caused them to burn even more. Robin walked closer to me until we were almost touching. "I guess I did get to see you again… Although it wasn't just by chance."

"Yeah, you did kind of cheat…" I mumbled before he leaned down, engulfing me in himself. I surrendered myself to the kiss much sooner this time. I parted my lips and let his tongue enter again. He placed his hands around my waist and I twisted my hands in his hair. Robin backed me up and I fell on the bed. He landed on top of me and was very gentle, not going further than any polite man should. Eventually he ventured farther and began softly rubbing my thigh and leg. Then, suddenly, the door clicked open and he was gone.

Bette flicked the lights on and I pretended to be asleep. She came in, clattering her things about and sighed when she saw the open window. I pretended to be waking up and apologized for leaving the window open. "I was just so exhausted from spending all day at the mall, I just forgot. Sorry." Bette huffed about the room some more.

"Sure, that's what it was," she mumbled.

I paused. "What did you think I was doing?"

Bette stopped in her tracks and glared at me. "Well, rumor is, Dick took you to the mall today. In his Corvette. He didn't even let me see that fricking car, and you got to ride in it. For all I know, you could've been in here making out with him."

I was totally taken aback. Me? Make out with him? "You do know I hate that guy with a passion, right? Why in the world would I want to kiss him? The only reason I went with him is because he made me miss my bus and he practically dragged me over to his car. I didn't instigate anything, Bette." She just rolled her eyes and continued her huffing. I decided it wasn't worth arguing, so I got ready for bed myself and played over the minutes that Bette had just rudely interrupted.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few days passed without incident. On Sunday, I read the books that I had purchased the day before. Once Monday and Tuesday rolled around, classes resumed and boring college life returned to normal. I enjoyed the fact that I hadn't come in contact with any kidnappers or rapists, but I was feeling a bit down. Obviously, Robin cared for me—unless he went around smooching all the damsels he rescued. However, I didn't think he was like that. I just missed seeing him, talking to him. I knew it was selfish. But it didn't change the fact that I loved him, and now that I had actually met him, the pangs of loneliness I felt without him grew worse. Granted, he hadn't trusted me with his identity, and didn't seem any more interested in me than for a quick fling—but my heart begged my mind to look for more, even though they both knew it wasn't there.

So, when Tuesday night came and went without the knock on my window, my heart gave in to what my head already knew. Robin was never coming back—probably never intended to. He had most likely found some other girl, someone else to kiss late at night. My heart shriveled when it came to its destined conclusion; but it didn't give up hope or the love for him. The fire for him still burned, and again, I began treating him like the crush you have on the senior boy in high school when you're a freshmen—it's never going to happen, but you can't tell yourself no. I hid his cape, erased my memory, and gave up the late nights I had been staying up, hoping against hope that the tap would come.

Wednesday morning, my alarm went of at eight o'clock. I slammed the clock to silence it and grumbled, rolling around in my bed and rubbing my eyes. I stared up at the ceiling, stared up at the Robin poster that hung directly above my bed, and gave it a sad smile. As I got ready, I reflected on how pleasant it was that Richard had also decided to pretend that I didn't exist. I didn't know if it was because he heard that people were beginning to insinuate things or he had found a better girl to pursue, but it made me a little upset that he had dropped me so quickly. From the boundless rumors I had heard over the past few days, he had been planning to ask me out for quite a long time—I was surprised and a little peeved he had given up so willingly. Richard didn't tend to give up on his prey quite so easily, at least from what I had heard. I guessed that he had figured I was a lost cause and had moved on.

I finished getting ready and walked to my first class. The campus was alive and full, other people walking to classes and occasionally a person I knew would wave in my direction. I had been getting a little more publicity, between being Richard's newest 'project' and saving that girl on Saturday night. It was nice but becoming a little old—Bette even ventured to invite me to a party. I had quickly declined, but I didn't forget that she only began treating me nice after my name had been in the paper. Rolling my eyes at the thought, I walked into class.

Seeing how I was a computer science major, my classes were filled with technology lectures and seminars, keeping me up to date on the newest and hottest computers and hand-held gadgets. The classes flew by, and soon the day was over. I was about to walk into my dorm and opened the door with a sigh when the ground shook violently.

I looked up at the sky and my jaw fell open when I saw a massive zeppelin soar over. From the airship sailing overhead torrents of bombs filled with gas were being dropped on the campus. Sirens started going off around the school, along with a sharp female voice calling, "Code J. Code J." over and over. My eyes widened and I immediately ran into my dorm, methodically going into every room to make sure everyone had heard the call and was moving to the shelters. 'Code J' was the code for when Joker and his thugs were attacking. Every villain in Gotham City had their own code that went off around the city when they had broken out of Arkham or Blackgate and had decided to go on a joy-ride.

Once I was sure that there was no one else inside, I too ran out to the nearest shelter. People were not panicking, nobody was screaming. Joker had been terrorizing us for years and we were accustomed to the process of quickly and efficiently getting to safety. But… I guess I wasn't ready for the new bungee-jumping ruffians Joker had hired to dive from the sky and grab innocents to use as hostages.

While most of the hooligans that came plummeting from the air broke their cables and landed with a sickening crunch on the concrete—much to the very loud approval of the Joker—the one who went after me was much luckier. The man snatched me, hooking his beefy, sweaty arms under my armpits. I fought at first, but then quickly decided to grip my assailant instead, as the ground seemed to be getting smaller and smaller. He laughed creepily, baring a mouth with barely any teeth left and I had to fight back a gag. We were reeled back up into the aircraft and the man hefted me along a corridor, apparently either to a prison or the main control room.

The halls were dark and dry, but I was choked by the scent of mud, blood, sweat, and oil. A glance at the floor told me that this ship had been in use for quite some time; and not always in the most pleasant or favorable ways. The steel we walked on—or rather, I was dragged on—was caked with grit and black, adding to the overall ghastly scent of the craft.

After what felt like an eternity, I was thrown into a small shack-like space and tied to a chair. There was light coming from a few windows and a man was at the controls, giggling crazily into a microphone. I rolled my eyes and knew it was Joker. "Oh, Batsy!" he called. "I've captured a pretty girlie, Batsy! But wait…" He paused and turned around. I had been gagged and he walked close to me, scrutinizing me. He smelled of acid and a sickly sweet flowery scent mixed with the overpowering stench of blood. I glared at him. "She appears to be more like the Birdie's type, doesn't she Harley?" A woman came up to me and pinched my cheeks. She smiled at me and nodded.

"Well, then," Joker continued. "Boy Blunder! I've captured a pretty girlie!" From out of no where Harley whipped out a camera and turned it on me. "As you can all see," Joker said, "this beautiful young lady is—" He dug in my backpack, which had been forcefully taken from me and pulled out my ID. "Why, by George! She's old Jimmy's daughter!" He hopped over to the window and peered out in a cartoon-like fashion. Harley turned the camera on him—it must have been projecting to the outside. "Jimmy, are you out there?" he called. "I've got your daughter! Can you believe my luck?" I rolled my eyes. Joker continued with his monologue of insulting my father and calling out to Robin; meanwhile, I began looking for a way to get the hell out of here. My bonds were loose enough; if I could just get them off without drawing attention to myself….

Suddenly Harley slapped my face. "I don't think so, toots," she said. "Only Mister J can decide when you go." She glowered at me and then turned back to Joker, staring dreamily at him. I watched Harley and began working at the thin rope around my wrists again. She soon went and stood next to Joker, filming his every move. There were only two other thugs in the room and neither looked terribly bright. I eventually got the rope off and began discreetly working at the ropes around my ankles.

Harley and Joker were thoroughly obsessed with rubbing their victory in everyone's faces. I got all my bonds off without being noticed, during which they talked about how they had killed at least ten people, mortally injured seventeen more, and had me as a hostage—all before Batman and Robin had arrived. I sat, thinking of a plan, when the two guards finally noticed I was free. They came up to me and began blubbering about, trying to figure out what to do. I panicked and kicked one in the gut, the other in the face. They both fell backward with quite a lot of clattering and Joker finally took note.

The goons were slowly getting up when Joker directed Harley to come after me. She daintily handed him the camcorder and ran at me. She instructed the goons to stay back and whipped out a knife. She smirked confidently, her black lipstick glowing in the light. Harley suddenly came at me, flashing the knife expertly and cutting me multiple times. I punched her squarely in the stomach and she uttered a small, "Oof!" She glared and came at me again.

After slicing me countless more times, my body became slow. I was losing a lot of blood and the scent of the red pool forming under us was causing me to become light-headed. It wasn't long until I had had enough. Harley sliced my shoulder and I fell.


	6. Chapter 6

I opened my eyes slowly. My whole body felt groggy and slow and as I sat up my head reeled. After I had laid back and actually took in my surroundings, my heart started beating quickly. The wall and ceiling around me wasn't the shocking white I expected. No, the normal hospital pastiness had been left out. All the walls I could see where brown or black and damp looking. If I listened, I could hear a faint dripping and the place smelled of dew and… droppings? I looked at my arm and saw an IV and blood bag dripping slowly into me. Most of my cuts were bandaged and a thin blanket was over me. I decided to try to get up again when I heard voices and immediately shut my eyes, feigning sleep.

"….Robin it doesn't matter what you think. She's not ready for that kind of commitment. And how do you even know she'd be willing to?" The growling voice that uttered the statement sent chills down my spine. But a familiar voice replied.

"You saw her fight just like I did. She was holding her own. She would just need to be taught—you could teach her!" Robin was defending someone; I thought it was me, but I wasn't sure. "Besides, I already told you how she risked herself to save that girl the other night. She has the sense of justice, has the skills…" Robin's voice trailed off hopefully.

A pause came from who I assumed was Batman. "I'll think about it. But nothing is decided for sure." The voices grew louder as the men walked closer to where I laid. I attempted to keep my breathing level, but my nerves betrayed me. "I know you're awake," Batman said. "Open your eyes. I won't hurt you." I slowly and cautiously peeked them open.

A grave man was standing over me; Batman. His black cape and dark gray full body suit were utterly intimidating. The scowl on his face seemed menacing, but not totally unfriendly. He checked the machines whirring away next to me. "Everything seems fine. You should be okay to leave within an hour. Robin, stay with her and answer any questions she might have." Robin smiled at me as Batman whisked away with his cape.

"Hey," he said sitting down next to the bed I was on. "I knew I wanted to see you again, but not under these circumstances." I smiled weakly, still feeling a bit light-headed. "So… Have any questions?"

I immediately rattled them off. "For starters, where the hell am I? Why aren't I in a regular hospital? How did you guys beat Harley and Joker? Was everyone okay? Do my parents know I'm here? Why didn't you ever come visit me again?" Robin's eyes bulged a bit and he took a deep breath.

"You're in the cave that Batman and I use as a headquarters. It's incredibly safe here and he needed to treat you immediately. You didn't know it, but the knife Harley had been slicing away at you with was covered in a liquid form of Joker's laughing gas. It was poisoning you and only Batman has the antidote for now—he hasn't figured out how to mass produce it yet. Right after you passed out, Batman and I broke into the cab of the zeppelin. Batman took care of Joker and Harley and I bandaged you up and carried you out to our car—I knew you would need to be specially treated. Batman told your dad we were taking you and all the people who were injured were taken to the hospital." He finished in a huff and leaned in closer, whispering the last part. "Batman found out. He told me that if I kept coming to see you, you could get hurt. These guys we fight would make the connections and they would figure out that I cared for you—you would become a target. …But that kind of happened anyway." He finished with a grim laugh. A pause filled the cave. "I'm really glad you're okay, Barbara." He reached out for my hand and grabbed it. "Any other questions?"

I ventured out, biting my lip before saying the words. "What were you talking to Batman about before you talked to me?"

The quiet filled the room until it had gone on for long enough to be awkward. Finally Robin spoke. "I asked him if he would train you to be like us. Fight crime and all that good stuff."

"Why?"

"I saw what you did and admired it. I took notice of your potential. Plus, I wanted a reason to tell you who I really am so you'd like me…" His voice trailed off and my pulse quickened.

"Who are you?" I asked. I heard him stand and pick something up off a silver tray.

"Sorry," he said, sticking a needle into my arm. "I can't tell you yet. Not yet, Babs…" Blackness engulfed me again.


	7. Chapter 7

My eyes flickered open to the darkness of my own dorm room. I turned my head to the side and saw Bette was gone. I got up and grabbed my head. I still had a headache, but I would manage. I walked around the room and noticed a small bottle on my bedside table. It was a pill bottle that read, in a sloppy scrawl, "Take one for your head." I took the single pill out and swallowed it dry. I instantly felt better. Looking at the clock, I saw it was eight o'clock, Thursday. I had been asleep for a whole day. I got ready for bed; not feeling particularly tired, I sat on my bed, causing something to crinkle. I stood up and picked up the piece of paper I had sat on.

The note, written in the same scrawl as on the bottle read: "Hey, Barbara. I'm coming to check on you Thursday night around nine. Bette was told to leave you alone and shouldn't be back until Friday night. I hope you saw the pill—it'll help your head. Until tonight… Robin"

I read over the letter again and again, taking note of how he looped his y's to form into the next word, how he sometimes neglected to dot his i's. I placed the letter in the lockbox that I kept in my room and looked at my posters. Nine o'clock couldn't seem to come fast enough.

Eventually I dozed off, but not before setting an alarm for eight fifty-five. As soon as the buzzer went off I got up and combed my hair. I brushed my teeth and went back to my bed, peering at the window.

When my clock turned to exactly nine o'clock, a small tap came on my window. I got up and opened it, letting Robin in. "Hey," he whispered. He smiled at me and my ears burned. "Did you take the medicine?" I nodded. "Did it help?" I nodded again. Something seemed different about him tonight. He seemed distant, preoccupied. I stood.

"Look, if you don't want to be here, you don't have to be. I'm glad you came, but you can leave." Robin looked at me.

"Of course I want to be here," he said. "It's just…" I looked at him skeptically. "Batman told me to leave you alone. He's still trying to decide if he'll train you to help us. By tomorrow night he said he'll have made his decision. I'm just worried he'll say you can't be trained and that I'll never be able so see you again." I smiled sadly at him.

"It's okay," I replied. "You can go if that makes you feel better. I don't mind, really, you should leave if you—" I was stopped by his lips confronting mine. He stopped at once, however.

"I want to be with you," he said before bringing his lips back once more. This time I opened my mouth at once and let him in—he always begged to be allowed in sooner. His hands found my waist and mine found his hair once more. We fell back on the bed and, again, he kept himself under control. He again touched my bare leg. It didn't become anything more than just a kiss, though. Robin didn't venture, I didn't risk anything. We kept it clean. After a long while he stopped, leaning over me and breathing heavily. "I should stop," he panted.

"Why?" I asked quietly, pulling him back to me. Our lips found each other once more and this time it lasted much longer. I was extremely tired, but I didn't want this to end. But, before I knew it, he suddenly stopped.

"You're falling asleep," he chuckled.

"No I'm not," I disagreed.

"Yes. You are."

He got up and opened the window. "Please," I whispered. "Please don't leave me." Robin halted, sighed, and closed the window. He lied down next to me, brushed my hair out of my face and kissed my forehead.

"I won't leave you awake." Smiling, I drifted off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

I turned over in my bed and gripped empty air. I opened my eyes and found that he was gone. In his place was a piece of paper. I picked it up and read it carefully. "Barbara, Sorry I had to leave, but you did fall asleep. I'll contact you by letter once Batman decides if he'll take you. Have a good day. Robin."

Sighing, I placed the letter in the lockbox with the other one and got ready for the day. On Fridays I had one class, a two hour long computer seminar class that didn't start until nine thirty. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was eight thirty and rushed to get ready.

The campus had already returned to life as normal. I picked up a newspaper from the campus paper vendor and the front page detailed the defeat of Joker and Harley and even included a small notation of my heroics as well. I smiled and stuffed the paper in my backpack once I arrived to the hall that held my class.

The seminar went quickly as I dove into the material we were learning. Computers and technology always came easily to me and once we had finished the project, my peers asked me questions about the zeppelin, fighting Harley Quinn, and what it was like to actually be captured by the Joker. I answered all of the questions with confidence. I wasn't particularly scarred from the incident—mostly upset that I failed to actually help anyone. However, my classmates where thrilled with my account of what happened and most of them actually said good-bye to me and called me by name; it was a nice change to have people acknowledge me.

I walked out of the building, smiling at the sun and the few birds singing in the bare trees, when it was all ruined by the sudden appearance of Richard. "Babs!" he shouted, stepping right in front of me and blocking any way out. "I read about what you did… Talk about amazing! Was it cool? Scary? Did the Boy Wonder come to your aid, like the Joker kept saying he would?"

I rolled my eyes. "It was very frightening. Have you ever come face to face with Joker or a pissed Harley?" He shook his head. "Didn't think so. I don't know if Robin came to help me—I was passed out. I woke up in my bed. I don't remember much else. Why do you even care?"

He looked around, as if to make sure no one was listening, and leaned in, placing his hand on my shoulder. I shook it off. "Well, seeing as how you've become a bit of a celebrity with everyone on campus and I'm already extremely popular…" I instantly saw where he was headed and began walking away from him. He easily caught up to me. "What? You didn't even let me finish!"

"I don't have to. You're just going to ask me out again. My answer is the same: no."

"You won't go to dinner with me? Just once? To give me a shot?" His voice was pleading and he looked at me with puppy-dog eyes.

"No, Richard. I do not want to go out with you." When he begged with his eyes again I stopped. "No way will I go out with you, Dick." I made sure to emphasize his name. When I said it his eyes fell and he turned around.

"Fine," he mumbled grumpily. I shook my head and began walking back to my dorm, reaching for my phone. What I found was a piece of paper instead. I pulled it out and scrutinized it confusedly before opening it. The letter was written in Robin's hand writing and I examined it at once: "Barbara, You've done it! Batman said he would consider it if you do one thing for him… I'll tell you what it is tonight. Meet me in the alley on the West side of your dorm tonight, eleven o'clock. Until tonight... Robin." My heart felt elated. I walked calmly back to my dorm, started my homework, and waited.

When ten fifty-five finally rolled around, I got ready, making sure to not disturb Bette. I crept out of the dorm room and walked out to the alleyway Robin had mentioned in his letter. I glanced at my phone and as soon as the time changed, he materialized out of no where. I smiled when I saw him and he grinned back. He walked up to me and gave me a huge hug. "You did it!" he whispered. "I can't believe it. I thought he would say no—not because you're not capable or anything, just that he wouldn't agree. But there's still your final test…" I held my breath and stared expectantly at him. "To be trained by Batman you have to find out one thing for him." The anticipation was killing me. "You have to find out my secret identity; who I really am." My breath caught in my throat.

"What?" I asked. "How am I supposed to do that?" I couldn't believe that I had been assigned this practically impossible task. Robin shook his head.

"You didn't let me finish. You can ask me one question that I must answer truthfully. One question, understand? Think hard." I racked my brain for what a good question would be. Not anything about physical appearance—I knew his hair and eye color, that he was Caucasian. I knew his approximate height and weight, what his voice sounded like. I knew the way he pulled on my waist and hips to hold me close to him when we kissed, how he was so terribly gentle but eager at the same time… I shook my head, focusing. I thought until it suddenly came to me. I looked up at him with confidence.

"Do I know you and have talked to you recently when you're not Robin?" He grinned at once.

"Good question. Yes." My heart beat fast—but then I thought of a complication.

"How will I tell you?"

"Approach me and say these words: "I love the first spring Robin I see." I'll know and say back: "I find Bats more enjoyable myself." You'll have found me. By the way, you have as long as you need." He turned to leave when I called for him to stop.

"How can I test if it's you?"

He shook his head. "I shouldn't tell you," he said, walking back to me. "Just think of something only you know I do." He leaned in and kissed me, pulling my hips towards himself. He stopped, though, and spoke again. "Keep in mind, though. I will be trying my best to fool you. I won't give in easily." He winked and was gone in a rush of his cape.

I walked back into my dorm and barely slept that night—my mind was busy cataloguing all the boys I knew with black hair and blue eyes that I had talked to recently.


	9. Chapter 9

I woke with a start as my alarm went off. As soon as it did, I was up and getting ready for the day. It was Saturday, and I planned on using the whole day to narrow down my suspects. I grabbed my computer and headed out to the campus park, taking advantage of the delayed winter weather.

I settled on a park bench and pulled up a notepad document on my laptop. I typed up all the boys that I had thought of last night, including their physical descriptions. The list incorporated about twenty boys and I hoped to fine-tune the list within a few hours so I could go work out. Unfortunately I didn't get very far before someone came and plopped themselves down beside me.

"Whatcha doing?" Richard asked. I rolled my eyes and sighed heavily.

"Didn't I yell at you enough yesterday?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Apparently not," he replied, peeking over my shoulder. "What are all those names for?"

"Nothing that concerns you," I lied—Richard was actually one of the first boys I had thought of, seeing as how he bugged me horribly and fit the description, though I knew he couldn't be Robin. "What do you want?"

"Well, I actually came to see if you would want to come to this party going on in the sports complex tonight at eight. There's no alcohol, so that's no fun, but it should be a good time. I didn't think you had heard about it and the staff wants as many students to come as possible. Most of the whole student body should be there and it'll be a good opportunity to get to know more students—at least that's what the flyer said." I stared off in the distance as Richard said all this. I didn't usually go to parties, but this would be a good chance to confront a few suspects all at once, without going out of my way. "Think about it, Babs," he mumbled before waltzing off.

I pursed my lips, thinking hard. It'd be the easiest way to approach Robin. It'd be convenient and fast. The pros outweighed the cons. I would be going tonight. If I could just narrow down my list a bit…

After about two hours, I had cut two-thirds of the boys. I had started with all boys with black hair that I had spoken to recently, then took away the ones without blue eyes. Next I went by height, thinking hard and taking out two—one extremely tall, the other way too short. I took out the one overweight boy and the two twig-like boys. I was left with four prospects. To my surprise, Richard had made it through all the cuts that had taken place. But I knew it wasn't him that I had been kissing in the late hours; still, I kept him on the list. I then judged by what I could remember of their voices. One had a terribly high voice so he was out. The three that remained I would approach at the party tonight—Luke Mason, Peter Gerard, and, against my better judgment, Richard Grayson.

I put the computer away and stretched, breathing out softly. I looked at the bare trees and sighed, wishing the robins were still on campus. After viewing the scene for a bit, I got up and went back to my dorm, returning my computer and grabbing my workout gear.

I jogged over to the sports complex and went to the area with treadmills, stair steppers, and elliptical machines. My work out took me about an hour before I got hungry. I got something to eat and went back to the gym. After another hour or so—until it was two o'clock—I left and took a shower, once I got back to my dorm.

I walked into my room and immediately started getting ready. I assumed it was a casual-dress dance party, so I spent only ten minutes picking out my outfit, opposed to the forty it normally would have taken. I put on makeup and did my hair—taking me a total of two hours. It was four thirty and I sat down with a huff on my bed. I had three and a half hours left until the party even started, and three hours before I planned on leaving. To kill some time I pulled out my laptop and went over my battle plan for this evening.

Luke Mason seemed the most likely candidate. He was on the gymnastics team and was in my computer seminar class. Luke's hair was a little bit shorter than what I remembered of Robin's, but not by too much. He was nice and I enjoyed his company. I would find and approach him first.

Peter Gerard would be next. He was on the baseball team and apparently had some classical dancing in his background; at least that was the rumor. Peter was in my programming class and I spoke to him regularly. He didn't seem terribly bright, but that made him a more likely choice: Robin masquerading as an idiot? Appeared logical.

The final—and least likely—nominee was Richard Grayson. Yes, he had a background of being an acrobat, but from what I heard he hadn't gone anywhere near anything relating to gymnastics or the like since the accident. I spoke to him often—but not always by choice. He was apparently studying to go into business, not surprising, and was taking all the most difficult classes. Richard wasn't in any of my classes, thank goodness.

Out of all three, Luke was the most promising and also who I hoped it was; I didn't like the idea that I had been spending a few of my nights with Peter or Richard. I didn't particularly have a 'thing' for Luke, but I hoped it was him. I guess tonight would decide that.

I glanced at the clock. I had taken quite a while to think about whom Robin could really be; it was seven. I put my computer away and picked up a book, looking for ways to kill the thirty minutes I had left until I was going to leave.

The clock finally read seven thirty and I got up to leave. Bette hadn't been in the dorm all evening but I wasn't worried—she probably was at someone else's dorm getting ready. I walked over to the sports complex and arrived a five past eight. I entered and went to the gym where basketball practiced and was immediately overwhelmed by the lights and music.

As soon as I entered a voice came over the loud speaker, the DJ, I presumed. "How you guys doin' toNIGHT?" The crowd screamed back their approval. "Well, that's great an' all, but let's be sure to thank the person responsible for this GREAT night tonight… Mister Richard GRAYSOOOOON!" Richard came up to the DJ and grabbed a microphone.

"Thanks," he said before addressing the mob. "Well, I'd take all the credit for this, but really it was a gift from Bruce. Let's see if we can make him hear us all the way up at Wayne Manor!" He held the microphone to the crowd and they screamed. I rolled my eyes and dove into the pack, wanting to find Luke as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the DJ then decided to start the music and the standing throng turned into a jumping, jostling throng. I was bumped and pushed to the outside of the horde.

I walked around the outside, hoping to see Luke near the edge, and was lucky to notice him sitting at the makeshift bar that sold sodas and water bottles. I breathed a sigh of relief and walked up to him. Sitting next to him, I grinned. "Hey, Luke," I said. He peeked over at me and smiled back.

"S'up Barbara? I can't believe you showed up here. I thought you weren't into parties." I stared up into his eyes, hoping to see the sparkling blue gems I had memorized, but something was off—they weren't as dazzling, weren't the same penetrating blue I remembered. Luke was not Robin.

"I'm not," I answered, realizing he was still waiting for an answer. "I just decided to give it a try. Well, I'm gonna go attempt to get back in the group. See ya in class." I smiled warmly and left him. He's not Robin? I asked myself. How could it be Peter?

I found Peter a little while later, standing beside an exit and making out with a girl I didn't recognize. I instantly turned around, knowing Robin would never do such a low-life thing. I fumed to some stairs and sat down with a huff. Enraged by what I had just seen, I didn't quite realize just what that meant. When it finally hit me I gasped so sharply I started coughing. My eyes bulged and my breathing became rapid, shallow. Richard. It had to be Richard. I stopped breathing for a bit, trying to grasp the situation. When that didn't appear to be working, I began searching for him.

I saw him, standing nonchalantly by a stairwell, completely devoid of any type of company. I took a deep breath, got myself back under control and stood up, walking towards him.

He saw me coming and smiled. "Hey, Babs! Isn't it nice to see you! I was sure you wouldn't show. Wasn't it kind of good ole Bruce to throw this little shindig for us?"

I rolled my eyes, as if on cue, and looked skeptically at him. "Sure it was nice. Did you have to ask him or did he offer to throw the 'little shindig'?" I was trying to get him distracted. It worked beautifully.

"Well, actually, I did ask him. I had to practically beg ole Brucie to throw this party for us. I had to promise him there'd be no alcohol—and it looks like the rest of the students haven't broken that rule yet, thank goodness. But really, I think it would have been a lot more fun if—" The rest of what Richard had been planning to say was drowned out by my lips covering his. I opened my mouth and his tongue pressed in, playing with mine. My hands went up to his hair and he gripped my waist pulling it towards him. I smiled in the kiss and pulled back, keeping my arms around his neck.

"I love the first spring Robin I see," I whispered into his ear.

"Really?" he replied. "I find Bats more enjoyable myself." We both smiled and I opened my lips to his once again.


	10. Chapter 10

Richard took my hand and we headed toward the exit—there was no reason to stay. However, once we got to the doors, the DJ noticed and was determined to make sure the crowd did as well. He picked up his microphone and shouted, "Where ya goin' Grayson?" A spotlight that came from nowhere trained itself on us and my ears began burning. "And with such a pretty lady, no less…" The crowd cat-called and Richard merely raised his hand in acknowledgment and continued leaving the complex.

As soon as we were outside he began laughing. When I glared at him he sobered up immediately and was reduced to chuckling. "I love the way your ears turn red. It's so adorable." My ears blazed even more and he grabbed my hand again. "I have to ask," he said as we started walking toward the parking lot. "Is it weird to be holding hands with Richard Grayson, who, up to this point, you couldn't stand?"

I thought. "Yeah." He chuckled again. "Wait… Did you set up this party because you knew I would try to find Robin at it?"

"Yep," he answered. "Once I saw that you had gotten inside I wanted to watch. I knew you would have the results down to Luke, Peter, and me. It was just a matter of waiting." His eyes lit up as he told me of my own man-hunt. "You went up to Luke and were grinning like crazy. But you just sat and talked to him. What made you decide that it wasn't him?"

My ears, which had finally changed back to their original color, turned scarlet. "When I looked into his eyes, they weren't as… striking as yours. They weren't as light a blue—more of a navy." He looked dreamily ahead and continued.

"So, then, you obviously got up. You went looking for Peter and saw him; the look on your face was hilarious. You were so pissed. You walked back to some stairs and sat down, still brooding. I was waiting for you to realize it had to be me and, trust me; I knew the moment it hit you. Your eyes kind of bugged out and you stopped breathing. It was all I could do to not burst out laughing, you looked so comical. I had to start looking impassive, though. Your eyes searched for me and then you spotted me. I tried to put up my best defense, I did. I didn't know how you were going to try to catch me off guard, but I was prepared. Until, well…" he trailed off. "I didn't want to seem too out of character, so I had to talk when you asked me about Bruce. And then when you kissed me… Well, obviously I couldn't keep up the façade." I saw his cheeks color slightly, but then it was gone.

We walked the rest of the way to his black Corvette in silence, just walking and sharing each other's company. I got in and shut the door. Richard sat next to me and clicked a few buttons and a screen popped up out of the dash. Richard started the car and got on the highway. Suddenly Batman's face appeared on the screen Richard had pulled up when he started the car. "Well, she got me," Richard told Batman. "And in less than twenty-four hours, too. I think that's a record." Batman simply glared out at us. "I'm taking her to the cave."

"Wait," Batman instructed. Richard at once pulled into the left lane and drove straight past the exit I assumed he was going to take. "She has one final test." Richard rolled his eyes. "Barbara, if you have figured out who Robin is, you should have no trouble with this last task." I looked eagerly at him. "Who am I?" My breath stopped and I thought. Who was Batman? How the hell was I supposed to figure that out? "No helping her, Dick. Just think, Barbara. It's really quite simple." I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. If Robin was Richard Grayson, it would only make sense for Batman to be….

"No way," I whispered. I looked up at the screen. "You're Bruce Wayne, aren't you?" Richard smiled broadly and even Batman's lips pulled out of the scowl.

"Well done," he said. "Dick, bring her to the cave."

"Yes, sir," he said and pulled off at the nearest exit heading to the outskirts of Gotham City. Richard sped up until he was totally out of Gotham. He was driving straight at a waterfall and increasing in speed, still. I tensed up as he rammed into the waterfall and the car leapt through. It landed with a crash on cool tile and he turned it expertly so that it glided to a smooth stop, not even screeching the tires. He hopped out at once and I got out as well. I followed him as he led me to a large open space with a computer. He waited expectantly as Batman—or, rather Bruce—approached us.

"Hello, Barbara," he said gravely. "Come with me." I followed him and Richard was right behind me. Batman motioned for us to sit and we did so. The cave was damp and dark, barely any light. Batman sighed and turned to face us, crossing his arms. "Before I train you in any way, I must address what is my most obvious concern. There can be no relationship with Robin. I don't care what you do as Dick and Barbara, but Robin and Batgirl," I gasped at the mention of my name, "can not have feelings for each other. I will not have you two compromising a mission to save the other one. You need to understand that now. If it ever happens, you two can not go on missions together. No matter what you two think, the millions of people in Gotham outweigh your own lives. We do this for the citizens, not for ourselves. Understood?" We both nodded. "Good. Alfred!" Batman called. Their butler immediately entered the room, rolling with him what appeared to be a mannequin covered in black cloth. "This is your outfit. What do you think?"

Alfred pulled the cloth off with a flourish and revealed my new suit. I gasped and at once went over to examine it. It was made of a sturdy but lightweight and flexible material. It was a deep purple, mostly. There was a cut in the back of the cowl that would allow my hair to be out. The outfit closely resembled Batman's in almost every way. My boots, gloves, bat insignia, the inside of my shortened cape were all black. The belt was a pale yellow, matching the color of Batman and Robin's. I marveled at it and glanced back at the boys. "Can I try it on?"

Batman nodded. "By all means." I took the costume and went to what looked like a closet area. I pulled the suit on and walked out. "How's it fit?" Batman asked. Richard uttered a low whistle when he saw me.

"Fairly well," I replied. "What do you guys think?" Batman nodded again and Richard just stared. "I think that means it looks good," I mumbled to myself. I went back and took it off. When I went back to the open room, Batman motioned for me to sit back down.

"To train you, I'll need to know your everyday schedule. We need to set up times that you're free. We have a lot to work on: hand-to-hand combat, far range combat, and your deducing skills. We'll start tomorrow; does that work?" I nodded. "We'll keep your suit and bike here," he began.

"Wait," I said, stopping him. "Bike?" Richard grinned.

Batman tapped on a keypad and a dark purple bike came zooming out of nowhere. There was a black bat symbol on the front, but other than that it was the same color as my outfit. "That's yours," he told me. I nodded and gulped, trying to take this all in.

"Anyway, as I was saying, we'll keep your stuff here. For now, go back to campus and try to realize what this all means. Dick, remember what I said—Robin and Batgirl can not afford to be in love with each other." He left with a rustle of his cape.

Richard stood up and grabbed my hand, dragging me back to his car. Once we got back on the road, Richard began talking excitedly. "Bruce got you an apartment near the Manor—that's where the cave is. That way you won't have to deal with roommates; but only, of course, if you want to move. He realizes that you'll have to explain that to your parents somehow and if you want you don't even have to deal with it. But know it's an open option." He kept talking all the way back and parked. We got out of the car and he walked me back to my dorm. It was about ten fifteen, and the lights were off in my dorm room.

"I don't think Bette's back yet," I mumbled. Richard scrutinized the window.

"The party wasn't supposed to get over until two o'clock. Maybe she's still there." He grinned mischievously at me. "Go in and open the window for me." I smiled and ran inside.

I was right—the room was deserted when I opened the door, completely empty. I rushed over to the window and pulled it open. I turned around and walked back to my closet, kicking off my shoes. When I looked back at the window I saw Richard closing it. He sat down on my bed and looked sadly up at me. I scrunched my brow. "What's wrong?"

"…Just that we can't be 'together' as Robin and Batgirl." I peered at him and smiled.

"But we can be together as Richard and Barbara," I said, trying to console him.

"Don't you think people will get suspicious that we're suddenly dating when, before, you made it extremely verbal that you could barely stand the sight of me?" He had been thinking about this for a while, I could tell.

"Well, we can have it be like it was; we'll just have little dates, late at night. During the day we can bicker and fight like always and then you can come visit me after dark." I sat down next to him on the bed. "We'll make it—I promise." He looked forlornly at the floor.

"It's not the same…" I rolled my eyes.

"It's just going to have to do," I said, turning his head and kissing him. I pushed him back on the bed and sat on top of him. "Well this is different. I've never been on top," I mumbled before leaning back over him. I placed my arms on either side of his head and straddled him with my legs. He began rubbing my thighs with both of his hands.

I soon became hungrier, wanting to go farther than we ever had before. I placed my hands on his cheeks and slid them down to his shirt, attempting to unbutton it, but he stopped me, grabbing my hands and standing up.

"What?" I asked, standing as well. He turned around and faced me.

"I don't want to go too far." I smiled and looped my arms around his neck.

"We won't," I promised and stopped his reply with my lips. I kept my hands in his hair, but his drifted from my hips up and down my back. After what felt like an eternity we broke apart. Breathing heavily I glanced at the clock and saw it was one thirty.

"I should probably go," he whispered. He gave me one last kiss before hopping out of my window.


	11. Chapter 11

I woke up as the sound of rain pattered on my window. I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes and looking around the room. Bette was lying haphazardly in her bed, makeup and party clothes still on. I smiled at her and covered her up as she had forgotten to do that as well; I didn't really like the girl, but no one deserved to sleep in the chilly December air of Gotham City.

After I finished getting ready, I didn't really know what to do with myself. It was pouring outside, so going for a quick stroll was out, and I had finished all of my books. What I really wanted was to visit my parents and see how they felt with me getting my own apartment; but with the weather acting like it was, I didn't get my hopes to high. At least, that is, until a quick knock came from my door.

I got up to open it, wondering who would possibly want to visit me when I remembered that Bette was my roommate. I rolled my eyes and pulled open the door with an exasperated call of, "What do you want?" For an answer I got a kiss, full on the mouth.

"That's no way to treat a guest," Richard mocked, pulling back from me. I turned around quickly looking at Bette before going out to the hall with him.

"What is it?" I asked excitedly. "Do you know what would have happened if we had been seen?"

"Uh, we would be gossiped about all around campus?" He cocked one eyebrow playfully. "I wanted to come talk to you. Well, actually, I wanted to know what you thought of moving to that apartment." Suddenly someone came out of their dorm and I glared at Richard.

"How many times to I have to say this, Dick? I. Will. Not. Go. Out. With. You."

"I just want a dinner date," he pleaded back. "Can't you just give me one chance?"

"No!" I shouted back. "You're just a player. And players don't ever want more than a game." The girl had gone down the stairs and I quieted my voice. "Sorry about that. Yeah, I want to. I just want to ask my parents first—but how the hell am I supposed to get there on my bike in this storm?" Richard grinned cheekily.

"There are plusses to be dating someone with a car," he said, dragging me toward the stairs and out the door.

"Richard! I don't have a jacket on!" I laughed, getting soaked at once. We both ran toward the parking lot, Richard's grip on my hand strong but tender. We got to the car and Richard fumbled with the keys, dropping them and cursing. I laughed at him and launched myself into the car once the door was unlocked. I sat in the seat, giggling and looked at him. Water was dripping from his hair and his big blue eyes sparkled. We both leaned forward and our lips lightly touched. He slid his hand behind my neck and held me there. We broke apart and our foreheads touched and I smiled. Richard then let go of me and started the car, turning on the heat.

Richard looked over at me. "Where to?" I told him how to get to my parents' house and he pulled out onto the highway. We sat in silence for a bit as Richard drove, the rain pattering on the windshield occasionally breaking the stillness. "You know…" Richard began and I looked over at him. "You can call me Dick if you want. I mean, mostly the people who know me well call me that—or if they think they know me well. And seeing as you probably know me better than anyone except for Bruce or Alfred…" I smirked at him.

"Do you want me to call you Dick?" I asked playfully.

"Actually," he said, "I kind of do; Richard is so formal and impersonal. We are dating, after all…" I giggled quietly to myself—but he managed to catch the movement. "What is it?"

"I think it's cute that your voice always trails off like that. You leave much implied and it's like you're trying to nudge me in the right direction, as if I didn't know what you were talking about." I glanced over at him to see his cheeks turn a light rose color, but they were back to his normal complexion almost at once.

We were left in silence again until Dick spoke. "So, do I get to meet Mister and Misses Gordon or do I stay in the car?" I thought.

"You can come in if you want, but explaining why you gave me a ride will be pretty tricky, even without you coming in with me. My dad will assume things. How about you drop me off and come back in twenty minutes? I'll say I managed to get a ride from someone in my dorm and that they're coming back."

"Good plan," Dick replied. He pulled into the drive I pointed to and I ran out after giving him a quick kiss. I pounded on the front door and was greeted by Mom's smiling face.

"Barbara!" she exclaimed, wrenching open the door and ushering me in with many, 'How are you!'s and 'Aren't you cold?'s and 'Silly girl, not wearing a jacket!'s. I rolled my eyes fondly at her worry. She sat me down on the couch in the living room and gave me a blanket and bustled off to get me some hot chocolate. Dad came in to talk to me while we waited for Mom.

"So, Barbara, why the visit?" he asked, smiling. I gulped. Just then Mom came back and saved me from asking just Dad. She sat down and looked expectantly at me.

"Well, I was thinking about moving off campus and getting my own apartment." Dad's eyes bulged and he scowled. "I have a way to get to class, it'd be cheaper school fees, and it'd teach me the responsibility of money and owning my own place." My voice got hopeful near the end, but Dad's expression didn't change. Mom merely looked worried.

"Barbara, you know that some of the apartments in Gotham aren't exactly quality places to live," Mom said. "You wouldn't be very safe in some of them…" She looked at Dad nervously and I, too, waited for him to blow. Finally, he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"This is crazy! Didn't getting captured by the Joker teach you anything? Gotham is a dangerous place. The apartment districts are scarier than some of the streets. Unless you lived in the Waterfront District, which you can't afford…" I stopped him there. Dick said that was where my apartment was that Bruce had gotten for me.

"Dad, the apartment is in Waterfront. Bruce Wayne has a giveaway every year and gives an apartment away, fully paid for. I won this year—no one knows about it but the person who gets it. That way it's totally undisclosed and Mister Wayne can keep his generousness more of a secret. Now what do you think?" My explanation—or fake explanation as it was—silenced Dad.

"I suppose," he finally consented. Mom and I cheered and Dad shook his head. Just then a car horn beeped and I realized my twenty minutes were up—Dick was back.

"It looks like my ride's here," I said, getting up. I gave both my parents hugs and ran out into the Corvette. After I got in Dick pulled away swiftly and got onto the highway.

"So how'd it go?" he asked.

"Great. Dad said it was okay. All that's left is to tell the school."

Dick smiled. "Don't worry. I called them and did that for you. All that you have to do is get your stuffed packed up. They said next Saturday would work; they need to get all the paperwork filled out. Sound good?" I nodded.

He drove us back to campus and pulled into his usual parking spot. We sat in the car and he shut it off, letting the rain clatter on the windshield. "Do you want to go to my dorm?" Dick asked me suddenly. I furrowed my brow. "It's really private—the whole top floor is one big room for me. Bruce bought the whole building and let me have that floor. There're other people in the dorm, but it's invite-only. No one will disturb us or see us." He looked hopeful and I nodded.

"First I have to get my homework from my room, though," I said. He smiled.

"Let's go." We both opened our doors and ran through the rain. We got to my dorm and I went inside, leaving him standing under the awning over the main entrance. I grabbed my backpack and an umbrella, relieved that Bette wasn't there to ask me questions. I ran back down the stairs and into his arms, laughing. He grabbed the umbrella from me as I swung my backpack around my shoulders. He looped his arm around my waist and we ran to his dorm, him leading the way.

The dorm he lived at was massive. It was named the "Wayne Boy's Dormitory". "Was it named that before or after he bought it?" I asked.

"After," Dick answered, holding the door open for me and placing my umbrella in the rack by the door. "Come on," he said, grabbing my hand and leading me to the elevator. "He installed the elevator, too," Dick said. No other dorm had an elevator and I had gaped when I saw it. We got inside and he pressed the button to floor five, and then entered a code on the keypad. "Every floor has a security code for the privacy of the people that room there," he explained. We rode up to the top floor and the elevator emitted a ding before opening. My jaw dropped.

When the door opened, it didn't show a hallway leading off to different rooms. The whole floor was one gigantic room, complete with bathroom, kitchen, and dining room. I walked onto the hard wood floor and went room by room. The bathroom had a shower and Jacuzzi, along with a toilet and sink. Most of us had to use communal showers and never got the luxury of a bath tub. It was themed to look like a beach, complete with little shell-shaped hand soaps. He followed me as I explored this mansion of a dorm room.

I next went to the kitchen. It had an enormous amount of counter space, including a small island in the middle. The granite counter tops matched the dark oak finish of the cabinets. There was an oven, microwave, and full sized fridge. There was a collection of knives and other cooking utensils. "I can cook with them too—they aren't just for decoration," Dick said. I walked into the dining room then. The crystal chandelier that hung from the high ceiling sparkled dazzlingly, throwing an array of colors on the white walls. As soon as I walked in, Dick dimmed the lights. "It has mood lighting, too," he said, stating the obvious. The large oak dining table matched the color of the cabinets from the kitchen, and the high-backed chairs matched as well, save for the deep plum that colored the seats.

I strolled from there to what I assumed would be a type of living room. I was met with a very sturdy looking door that wouldn't budge when I tried to open it. "Sorry," Dick murmured. "I don't have a living room—my bedroom is where all that stuff is. It has a fingerprint lock mechanism built in." He reached around me, pressing his body close to mine and placed his thumb above the doorknob. A small beep emanated from out of nowhere and the door clicked open. I walked in and was taken aback.

There was plush white carpet under my feet, opposed to the hard wood floors I had been walking on. This was by far the largest of all the rooms, filling an enormous amount of space. There was a black leather loveseat directly in front of a huge flat screen television, accompanied by a series of gaming consoles and video games. But what drew in my eyes the most was the massive four poster bed that lay against the wall of the bedroom. It was covered in black sheets, and when I walked over and touched them, I felt the high quality silk they were made of. I sat on the mattress and lied down on it, instantly being comforted by the plush-ness of it. Dick came and lied down next to me. "Want to see the coolest part?" he asked. I nodded and scooted closer to him. "Open," he said, and the hanging over the bed parted, revealing a sun roof. "It's cooler at night," he whispered, "but it's still pretty neat, huh?" I rolled over and looked at him.

He smiled and leaned toward me. I closed my eyes and leaned forward as well. Our lips met and softly, slowly, he reached behind my neck and pulled me closer. I opened my lips and his tongue pressed in, finding my own instantly. We kissed like that for a time before finally breaking apart. Sighing, I laid my head against his chest. He brushed my hair out of my face and began petting it. After a while he spoke. "Will you join me for dinner this evening?" he asked. I smiled.

"Of course; after I finish my homework." He sighed and I sat up, going to get my bag from the hallway. I procured it and went back to his bedroom. I set my stuff on the floor and sat down next to it, looking for Dick. "Where'd you go?" I asked. Suddenly I heard a noise from behind me and turned to see he was changing his shirt—and that, currently, he was shirtless. My ears burned at the sight of his strong pectorals and abs and he laughed.

"I was cold; that shirt was drenched. Do you want me to grab you something? You're soaked, too." I nodded and swiftly turned back to my homework. I opened my textbook when a shirt landed on my head. Dick sat down next to me and I glared at him. "Oh, yeah," he said, changing to that slight pink and he turned around. I changed my shirt and let him know he could face me again. He flipped back around. "Want some music?" he asked after I had done a bit of my worksheet.

"Sure," I said, not really paying attention. Within a few seconds he had the radio on and asked me what station I liked. "Doesn't really matter—I like variety." He turned to the pop music channel and hummed along to the songs as I did the problems. However, he seemed to be getting bored. I felt bad, but I was almost done.

"Are you about finished?" He sounded terribly uninterested in my work.

"Yep," I said, finishing the final problem with a flourish. "Done."

"Finally," he said and slid my things toward the wall. "What do you want to do now?" It was noon and I was beginning to get hungry. My stomach growled loudly. "Alright, lunch then," Dick said, chuckling.

We went to the kitchen, Dick insisting to make me a sandwich. I sat down at the bar and watched him. Like when he was driving, he was totally focused on the putting together of the sandwich, not talking or flirting. It was kind of funny. He concluded making the meal and slid my plate in front of me. I ate the sandwich—merely made of turkey, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. It was amazing. After we were done eating we went back to his bedroom. "Now what?" I asked. I had promised him dinner and I didn't really want to go anywhere in this rain.

"We could watch a movie," he said, gesturing with his head in the direction of the television set. I walked over and looked at the movies he had, eventually picking out one I had seen many times, a cheesy romance. He groaned and put it in the DVD player. "I hate this movie," he said.

"Then why do you have it?" I asked. "Besides, it's not like we're going to be paying attention anyway." His eyebrows shot up and I sat on the couch, patting the spot next to me. "Come on, Grayson." Dick smiled, turned off the lights, and came to sit next to me. The opening titles started and he put the DVD remote on the ground. He then leaned back, motioning for me to lie on top of him. I hesitated. "It's going to get fairly hot," I said. "I think it's only fair if you take this off now." I played with the T-shirt he had put on. He smirked and sat up, pulling it off over his head and chucking it behind the couch.

"That better?" he asked, lying back down. I nodded and lied down on top of his chest. However, I did so with much difficulty. "Want to move to the floor? It's probably going to be more spacious." I got up and he pushed the couch out of the way. He sat on the ground and I sat in his lap, facing him. I closed my eyes and he found me.

We stayed like that for a bit, but it wasn't long before Dick pushed himself on top of me. He kissed down my neck, but suddenly a loud beep came from the television and he leaped off of me, grabbing his shirt and shoving the couch back to where it belonged. "What…?" I asked, but he shushed me. Batman's face appeared on the screen and I went silent, edging further away from the television.

"Hello, Barbara," Batman said, and my heart nearly stopped beating, my ears turning scarlet. "Dick, I just wanted you to tell her that we're training tomorrow from three until ten. Enjoy your evening." In a flash he was gone; but I had been thoroughly embarrassed.

Dick resumed the movie, pushed the couch back, and took his shirt off. "Sorry about that," he said. "He probably just guessed that you were here. By the way, you're training tomorrow from three until ten in the cave. I'll give you a ride if you want." I nodded and he leaned back over me, picking up where we left off.

After the movie was over, it was about three o'clock. It went back to the title screen, but we weren't finished just yet. We didn't go very far; Dick ventured farther, though, rubbing his hands up and down my body, giving me the chills. But that was as far as we went.

Finally five thirty rolled around. What ended up stopping us was my stomach growling. He grinned in the kiss and got up, turning the lights back on. He kept his shirt off and headed for the kitchen, me right behind him. He made a wonderful salmon dinner and we ate. After doing the dishes together, we went back to his room and continued watching 'movies' until nine o'clock.


	12. Chapter 12

I sighed as I woke up. I turned to the side, expecting to find Dick lying next to me, in the same position as when we fell asleep back in his room. To my sudden surprise—and annoyance—there was no one. I sat up and saw that I was back in my own room, in the same pants and shirt that I was wearing yesterday; Dick's shirt. I groaned in frustration and flopped back on the bed. I glanced to my bedside table to check the time and saw a piece of paper. I picked it up.

The letter was written in Dick's hand. It read, "Babs. Sorry about this. After you fell asleep, I carried you back to your place, obviously. I didn't want Bette to wake up and you not be there. She would've gotten suspicious. Anyway, have a good Monday. See you tonight. Dick." I shot straight up in my bed, staring at the clock. I had forgotten it was Monday, and I rushed to get ready.

Class was nothing special. Everything went as usual, and after my final seminar got out, I walked quickly back to my dorm. I went into the room and found Dick lying on my bed, reading a book I had just finished. Bette was still in class, or otherwise occupied, so the room was empty. He got up as soon as he heard me enter, smiling. "Finally," he said and grabbed my hand, pulling me back out of the room. "Let's go."

"Wait," I said, trying to get out of his grip. "Where are we going?" Dick just smiled and dragged me to the parking lot and his car. We got in and I looked at him. "Dick, where the hell are we going?" He looked at me cheekily.

"The cave. You have training today." My jaw dropped. I had totally forgotten. "You didn't remember Batman's little message last night, did you?"

My ears burned. "I was a little preoccupied last night with… other things. I wasn't exactly thinking about my seven hour training session today…" I crossed my arms and looked out the window with a huff. Dick just laughed.

"Last night was pretty occupying," he said. I glanced at him and saw his face was a light rose color. I smiled and looked back out the window. "Unfortunately, those types of nights won't get to happen very often anymore. Batman wants you to start training every night. Is that okay?"

I thought. "I guess. Will you be there?" Dick shook his head.

"Not at the beginning. While Batman's training you in the Cave, I have to go out on solo patrol in the city. Rumor is that Riddler escaped this morning; Batman needs someone to be his eyes while he's with you." I was a little crestfallen, but knew I would survive a few nights without my Boy Wonder. "I'll still be able to see you when I drive you to and from the Cave. Oh, and on the weekends, he wants to spend the whole day with you—unless you have mountains of homework. Then, you can bring it and once you finish it you'll begin training. Get ready for some long nights!" he chuckled and I glared at him.

We sat in a contented silence for the rest of the drive. He crashed through the waterfall into the Cave, again smoothly sliding his car to a stop. We got out and walked over to the main floor area, the place with the absolutely massive computer screen. Batman was sitting at the computer, quickly typing and pulling up files. He hurriedly minimized them all, though, as he heard us arrive and stood up. "Barbara, go change," he instructed me. "Dick, you may leave." Dick grudgingly left. I went and changed into my costume and came back out, ready and nervous.

"I don't know what Dick has told you, but this is not going to be easy. I am going to be observing you—your reaction time, your execution, everything. Let's begin." Batman walked over to a long hallway that had multiple dummies, some holding weapons, some marked at civilians, some unmarked. With the flip of a switch, bright lights came on that nearly blinded me. "Get your projectiles out and hit as many dummies as you can that are not marked civilians. You are being timed—but don't let that rush you and cause you to miss. You are being observed on accuracy and speed. Begin." I reached for the projectiles—batarangs?—he had mentioned and walked closer to the mannequins.

I wasn't exactly sure how these would fly, and I had always been lousy at throwing things, so I didn't know what was going to happen when I flung my first batarang at the closest target. I missed that target horribly—but somehow, the batarang had swerved off to the right and had smacked into the gun of another dummy. "What?" I said out loud.

"I'm going to guess you were trying to hit that closest one, right?" he asked. I nodded. "Then you don't get points for accuracy." I sighed and tried again.

After a grueling half an hour, I had managed to either knock the weapon away or bury a batarang into every one of the non-civilian dummies—and even a few of the marked ones. "That wasn't too bad," Batman remarked in a deadpan voice. I didn't know how to take the comment; I felt like he never complimented anyone, let alone someone who had just taken her sweet time doing something he could have accomplished in a few seconds. "Would you like me to show you? We have the exact same projectiles." I nodded. Within five seconds every target had been hit, in the head, save the civilian ones. "Make sure you keep calm. The worst thing you can do is get frustrated and aggravated." I nodded and took a deep breath. I aimed and threw a batarang, managing to hit the target I was aiming for in its side.

"That was better. Let's move on." Batman was already heading away and I ran after him. "We're going to test you agility next—quickness, gymnastics ability. Dick told me that you're an expert gymnast. Is that true?"

"I wouldn't say expert but I'm fairly good." I knew that I wasn't near as agile as Dick was—he grew up in a circus for some of his life.

"Modesty will get you no where with the thugs of Gotham, Barbara," Batman said. "In some cases, it works better to brag rather than be humble. Remember that." I nodded and then gasped when I saw the large gymnastics room we were in. "Show me what you can do," he said. "You have an hour."

At once I walked out onto the floor and stretched for a few minutes. However, wanting to start as soon as possible, I chose to forego some of the easier stretches. I began and did back flips, front flips, back handsprings, the works. I moved to the bars and then balance beam. I finished with vault, and after my final trick Batman called that my time was up.

We went back to the room with the computer and he motioned for me to sit down. He took the seat directly across from me and didn't say anything for a while. Finally, he said, "We will now spend the bulk of your time left developing your detective and deducing skills. I know that with your father being the commissioner you've been around the police and crime scenes for a long time, but I need to see, first hand, how you would construe what happened in a situation and be able to make the connections necessary to find out who did what. Understand?" I nodded.

For the next four hours Batman presented mind game after mind game for me to solve. They ranged from Sudoku to word searches to actual police cases to chess. It was the most mentally taxing time I had ever spent, and to keep me from cracking Batman had Mister Pennyworth occasionally come and bring us snacks or refreshments. When I had finally finished one particularly challenging puzzle in which I had to find out which playing card Batman was holding with only the irregular and unannounced clue from him, Batman said that we were done. However, I was confused; there was still one more hour until ten o'clock. When I told him this, he said the rest of the time was to go over my training experience and for me to see where I needed to improve.

"Let's start with the agility. I don't think I'll have you do any more of that until I take you out into the field. Then, I'll incorporate the different elements you can find on the streets of Gotham and not just give you a clean and bright place to display your skills." He smiled slightly at this. "However," his face immediately fell. "Your marksmen skills are awful. You could barely hit the side of a building from the inside. We will be spending much more time on that—you need to be able to hit an approaching adversary from a distance without even thinking about it. We will definitely work on that tomorrow for a long while." I sunk a little bit in my chair.

"Finally, let's discuss your deduction skills. How well do you think you did?" He sat patiently and folded his hands in his lap.

"Well," I began taking a breath. "I got through quite a few, right? I mean, Sudoku and those number and word puzzles are fairly easy. It's mostly the type of stuff where I have to figure something out from given information. I don't know what to look for. How do you think I did?"

"I think you're giving yourself less credit than you deserve. Dick couldn't have solved some of those. What's most important is that you didn't get mad at yourself. Dick always gets upset if he can't figure out the puzzle within a few minutes; and then he's generally at it for another few hours. It was impressive to see you stay so calm." My jaw, quite literally, dropped. I was expecting him to berate and tell me that we'd be spending a lot of time working on puzzles from here on out. "I anticipated you getting frustrated and taking a lot of time. That's why I left four hours left in your training today for this. I called Dick and he should be here shortly. As soon as he arrives you are free to leave. See you tomorrow." Batman got up and headed for the stairs. However, before stepping up he turned around and faced me. "Bruce Wayne is hosting a Charity Ball in two nights. You are welcome to attend, along with your parents, if you wish. Dick insisted I invite you. Good night." He swiftly went up the stairs to, what I assumed was the Manor.

I went to the changing room and got back into my normal clothes. I was exhausted and my mind could barely function. After I finished changing I went back to the main room and lied down on the table that was there. I promptly fell asleep, not noticing Dick burst into the Cave, pick me up with a chuckle, place me in his car, and drive back to my dorm.


	13. Chapter 13

My alarm, instead of beeping obnoxiously as it usually did, woke me with a song. It was a slow song, one most commonly heard in a club when people who had never met decided to dance together. The tune was repetitive and soothing, and I had to fight to not fall back asleep. Finally, though, I knew I had to get up, and as I went to turn the alarm off, my hand smacked a sheet of paper, sending to floating lazily to the floor. I immediately snatched it up and read it.

"Babs. You were asleep by the time I got to the Cave. I had to carry you to my car and into your room. Don't worry, no one saw me. Like the song? It was the one that was playing when you came over and kissed me at the party. You probably didn't know, but I made sure to remember. It can be our song. I'll see you after classes today. Hope it went well last night! Love, Me." I chuckled when I read his signature. I'm sure he didn't want Bette to realize it was him, had she seen it. Then, my breath caught in my throat as I reread the letter. He had closed with love. Love. I began hyperventilating and then stopped myself, recognizing that Bette might wake up. I gulped heavily and placed the letter in my lockbox.

I got ready and went to my classes. The day seemed to drag on and three o'clock couldn't come fast enough. Finally my seminar class got out and I went back to my dorm room. I wasn't surprised when I came in and Dick was there, sitting on my window pane. "I can't wait until Saturday," he mused. "Then I can come into your room like a normal person." I smiled and set my bag down. "No homework?"

"I have a ten page paper due on Thursday, but I can finish it tomorrow—I don't have classes until ten that day." Dick nodded and held the door open for me. We walked to the parking lot and got to his Corvette. As we drove down the road in silence, all I could think of was that four letter word that had graced a letter sitting in my room. I was just about to ask him about it when he suddenly looked at me.

"So how did training go yesterday?" He caught me off guard and I just stared at him for a few seconds. Shaking my head, I snapped out of it.

"It was… intense." Dick smiled expectantly. "He had me hit targets with those projectiles, then had me do my gymnastics moves, and finally had me do a bunch of detective problems and stuff."

"How'd it go, though?" he asked again.

"Well, he said he was almost never going to have me to the gymnastics again. He said I sucked at hitting stuff from a distance, and that my detective skills were okay, but could still use a lot of work. He told me that I'm going to be working on my aim mostly today." Dick chuckled.

"Only not in so many words, right?"

"Yeah," I said. Dick turned on the radio as our chat pattered out into silence once again.

Right before we turned onto the dirt road that led to the waterfall, Dick turned off the radio. "Did Bruce tell you about the Charity Ball tomorrow night?" I kept my eyes trained towards the window, not looking at Dick—I had been thinking of the letter again.

"Yep. I'm going to go, but I don't think my parents would want to come. Dad hates public events like that. I don't know what I'm going to wear, though…" I trailed off, honestly wondering.

"I could go pick something out for you," Dick offered. I was taken aback.

"Oh, no! I couldn't do that! First of all I couldn't pay you and I don't want to give you a chore to do. You already do so much for me, Dick. I couldn't ask for more."

Dick simply shook his head. "It's my duty as the rich guy you're dating. What's your dress size?" I told him and he asked what my favorite color was. "Blue? Really?" he asked again.

"Yes. Why?" I said.

"You just don't seem like that type. I thought you'd say green."

"Well, green was my favorite color. But then…" I trailed off, my ears burning.

Dick looked at me cheekily. "But then what?"

"I saw Robin's eyes up close, on a dark night, right after he rescued me." I knew my ears were scarlet at this point.

"Hmm…" was all he said in reply. We were silent for the rest of the trip, which wasn't very long. He pulled in to the Cave but didn't get out of the car. "I've got some errands to run," he said, smiling. "See you at ten." I smiled sadly back, already tired.

For some reason, ever since seeing that letter, I had felt different. I didn't know what it was, but I just felt like our dynamic had changed. I didn't know if it was because we hadn't been seeing each other in the late hours of the night or because I had started training with Batman and was more occupied—most likely the latter. But something about us had changed, and I didn't like it in the least. Maybe I felt guilty for not telling him I loved him as well. That could be it…

I was snapped out of my dream land by Batman's grim face. "Get changed," he said. I went and came back out. "We're going to start with aiming." I followed him over to where the dummies were.

After about three grueling hours of throwing things relentlessly, with my arm sore and my brain at its wits end, Batman told me to stop. "You have improved considerably. But I want you to be able to hit these targets, moving, with a blindfold on. Let's go sit so you can have a break." He let me rest and decompress for about five minutes before beginning to explain what we would be doing for the next three hours. "Physical training, pure and simple. I want to see all your raw strength—sparring won't be for a while, unless I think your body's up to it. You need to build up endurance and a tolerance for high amounts of pain. Don't worry, though, we'll start easy."

Batman took me to a large workout room and had me start on the treadmill. I ran for who knows how long and when he finally said I could stop, I was sweating a disgustingly high amount. The whole thing was like any basic workout I had done at the gym; only instead of doing, say, thirty push-ups, I was doing one hundred. When I had finished with my last set—wall-sits for a full half hour—I was about to collapse. "Go change. Then we'll discuss how you did today."

I trudged over to the changing room and immediately sighed in pleasure as I peeled off the sweaty costume. My sports bra was soaked and I pulled my shirt over my head. I gladly reached for my sweatpants and put them on as well. I walked out to the same table that we had talked at yesterday and dropped into the chair. "You did better today than yesterday, that's for sure," Batman said. "Your aim has improved considerably and you're in pretty good physical condition. Obviously, we won't train tomorrow night since there's that Charity Ball, but on Thursday we'll be back at it. I think we'll continue to work on your aim the most until you can hit all of them while they're moving with dimmed lights and not missing. Then we'll alternate between workouts and deduction skills. I'm glad with how it went today. See you tomorrow evening." Batman got up and left with a flourish of his cape. I leaned on the table and immediately began snoring.


	14. Chapter 14

My alarm went off, again with that slow song. I smiled sadly and got up. I read the note that sat next to my clock. "Hey, Babs. He must've really worked you hard tonight; you were fast asleep by the time I got there to pick you up. I have your dress at my room. You can come pick it up whenever—I'll be there anytime from two until five. Have a good day. Love, Me." My heart fluttered when I read how he closed. I got ready and put the letter in the lockbox, feeling a bit of déjà vu. I started and finished on my ten page paper, knowing the subject material well enough it took me no time at all. After I was done, I left to go to my first class.

Classes seemed to drag on and on. Campus was full of talk of the Charity Ball tonight—apparently, anyone worth while had been invited. The event was specifically targeted toward a re-vamp of the current exercise facility, so many student athletes were going and extremely excited. No one had really spoken to me since all the buzz with me being captured had died down, so I merely listened in on other people's conversations. Rather unexpectedly, however, my last class was over and I found myself walking to my dorm. I didn't have any pressing homework, so I planned to drop off my bag and go over to Dick's. For some reason, I was intensely afraid of going there—quite the opposite feeling of when I went there before. But, sure enough, I stood outside of his dorm and walked inside and into the elevator, pressing in the security code he had shown me when I first visited. As the elevator slowly climbed up to the number five, my heart beat faster and faster.

The doors slid open with a quiet ding and I stepped out. "Dick?" I called, almost silent. I shook my head and cleared my throat. "Dick?" I said, stronger. He materialized by the bathroom door, opening it to release a waft of steam. He was standing there in baggy sweatpants with a towel around his neck, wiping his face. He wasn't wearing a shirt and my ears burned.

"Sorry," he said, smiling. "I just got out of the shower. I didn't expect you to come right away." He walked right by me and toward his room. "C'mon. Wanna see your dress?" I followed him, my ears returning to their usual pigmentation.

I went into his room, my eyes deliberately avoiding the couch where we had spent that night, what seemed like weeks ago. Dick walked over to his closet and opened it, revealing a hanger with a large white bag covering the contents. He pulled it out of the closet and took the covering off. I gasped.

The dress was absolutely gorgeous. It was strapless and long; I could tell it would gracefully trail on the ground if I was wearing it. The dress—or, more appropriately called, gown—was made completely of glitter. I could tell, however, that it was the expensive type of glitter that wouldn't come off and get on everything. But what I loved most about the dress was the color. It was a deep, but bright blue that matched Dick's eyes perfectly. I stood in awe of the gown and came toward it. He smiled and handed it to me. I felt the material and could tell I wouldn't be uncomfortable in it. I looked up at him with huge eyes and he just smiled wider. "I take it you like it," he said.

"Of course! It's stunning!" I said.

"I'm glad," he whispered. "Hey, what size shoe do you wear?" I looked at him suspiciously.

"Eight and a half. Why?" I asked.

Dick looked away from me and went back to the closet. "No reason…." He came back with a shoe box. "I bought eights, eight and a halves, and nines, just to be sure." My eyes bulged even more. When he pulled the lid off the box, he revealed three inch heels that matched the dress color perfectly and were designed with many straps that stretched haphazardly around the shoe. I picked them up and stared at them.

"I can't believe you," I said. "These must have cost a ridiculous amount. And you bought three pairs!" I shook my head. "Is this all?" I added, jokingly.

"Nope," he said, and my jaw dropped, causing him to laugh. "It got fun after that. I had to get you one more thing. –Well, it's actually three more things." He left and came back quickly with three boxes wrapped in blue paper. I tore into them, wondering what he had gotten me next.

The first box I opened was the largest. It was the boxiest one, and when I opened it, I saw that it was a diamond bracelet. I gasped and stumbled, falling onto Dick's bare chest. My ears burned and he chuckled. "What?" he asked.

"This is a diamond bracelet. I've never had anything this nice in my life, Dick." My voice was barely audible.

"Well, if you like that, you'll love the other two." I opened both and saw that the long one was what I expected: a diamond necklace. The smallest box was a pair of diamond earrings. "If you don't want them, I can take them back. Bruce won't care that I bought them, but he'd encourage me to return them if you don't want them."

Again I fell into his open arms. "It's not that I don't want them," I said. "I just wasn't expecting anything like this." I dropped the gifts on his bed and hugged him, burying my face in his chest. "Everything is so beautiful; I don't know what to do."

We pulled apart and he looked at me endearingly. "I know what you can do to thank me…" he said before bending down and finding my lips. At once, I parted my lips to allow his tongue full entry. His arms around my waist, mine wrapped around his neck; the feeling was bliss. All the feelings I had been thinking about melted away. I knew that I had been foolish to feel sad and weird about the message in his letters. I felt the same, I just hadn't verbalized it. I planned to change that at the Charity Ball tonight.

After a few minutes, Dick began kissing down my chin to my neck. I held him there, but eventually he came up and kissed my nose, looking warmly down at me. "We should start getting ready," he said and let me go.

Dick told me he had picked up a hair straightener, curling iron, and make-up kit. Again, I was in wonder of what lengths he had gone to for me. I went to the bathroom, then, where he had put all of my things so he could get dressed. I decided to curl my hair and plugged in the high quality iron. I had just put on base when the gadget beeped, letting me know it had heated up. I started curling my hair and found some hair spray to keep the curls voluminous and bouncy.

After finishing my hair, I set to the task of doing my make-up. I put on eye liner, mascara, and the brown eye shadow Dick had bought for me. I did my lips and when I finished, I was quite satisfied. I left the bathroom and saw that Dick was lying on his bed, fully dressed and waiting for me. I had taken about an hour and a half to get ready, and I felt bad for making him wait. "Sorry," I said.

"That's fine. Now, let me get out of your way." He smiled as he left. "I'll be in the dining room." Dick left.

I walked over to his closet and pulled out the gown. I stared at it in awe before putting it on. However, as I went to zip it up, I found that my hands couldn't reach the back to close the dress completely. I rolled my eyes at how cliché it was. Deciding to just get over it, I headed for the door.

Just as he said, Dick was sitting in the dining room, playing with his tie. "Help," I said, turning around. He chuckled and came towards me. Gently he zipped it up and then wrapped his arms around my neck, resting his chin of my shoulder. I gripped his wrists and held him there. He sighed contentedly and then let go.

"Do you need help getting you necklace and bracelet on?" he asked.

"Probably," I said. I went and got them. He put on my bracelet and as he was doing my necklace I put my earrings in. I had brought out my shoes as well and put those on. "How do I look?" I asked.

He let out a low whistle. I smiled and walked towards him, forming my body to fit his better as we hugged. Suddenly, though, he looked at his watch. "It's past five o'clock. We better get going!"

Dick grabbed my hand and we went to his car. There were a few people dressed up and heading for the parking lot, but thankfully no one seemed to notice that it was Barbara Gordon walking hand in hand with Richard Grayson. He drove to Wayne Manor; but this time, he took the normal way, not turning off on a dirt road. He pulled slickly up the drive and stopped in front of the door. A valet came and Dick handed him the keys along with a twenty dollar bill. I slid my arm through his and we walked to the front door together. "Have you ever been in the Manor?" he asked.

"Nope," I replied.

He chuckled. "Prepare to be blown away." As we entered the entrance hall, a decked out security guard simply nodded us through. "He knows it's me; and since you're with me, you must be invited. There're perks to having lived here." We walked into the main hall—which was also serving as the ballroom—and I gasped.

The ceiling was three stories tall, sporting an extensive chandelier. The room was brightly lit by lights on the wall. The walls themselves were covered in large portraits and paintings. The floor was granite, a light tan color. The hall was filled with people, rich philanthropists, college students, influential people; even a few children would occasionally be seen running through the mob of finely dressed cohorts, wearing mini dresses or suits. There was table upon table that held champagne, punch, water, any drink you could imagine, coupled with thousands of mini hors-d'oeuvres. There were two grand staircases that lead to a loft where I could see most of the wealthy people were concentrated. In the thick of it all, I could make out Bruce Wayne surrounded by false smiles and fake friends. Dick pulled on my arm since I was just standing in the way of the throngs of guests still arriving. "C'mon," he said. "I want you to meet Alfred."

"You mean Mister Pennyworth?" I asked. I had heard of the famed butler, but I had never actually met him.

Dick chuckled. "He'll love that you call him that." After a few minutes of searching, we came upon the older man who was waiting patiently by the table that had alcohol on it. "Hey, Alfred!" Dick called.

"Master Richard. What a pleasure to see you again! And who is this lovely lady?" Mister Pennyworth was a surprisingly tall man with a balding head. He didn't seem to be over sixty, but I knew that wasn't so. His blue eyes were piercing, staring straight into mine, analyzing me.

"This is Barbara Gordon," Dick said, gesturing toward me.

Mister Pennyworth bowed deeply at me. I smiled and said, "It's nice to meet you, Mister Pennyworth."

He chuckled. "Thank you, Miss Gordon; but please, call me Alfred. And may I say, it is quite delightful to see the real you. I can understand why Master Richard speaks so highly of you." I glanced sideways at Dick, whose face had promptly flushed a deep rose. "Yes, ever since his first day of attending the University, he's been raving about the 'wonderful, intelligent, and stunning' Barbara Gordon. Did he ever tell you about how he used to watch you sleep all during your sophomore year? Some may think it to be a little breach of privacy, but I find it charming, myself—" Dick's face was getting progressively darker, and a small smile played on my lips. I could never get him to be embarrassed, so it was refreshing to see someone put him in his place; and I could tell that Mister Pennyworth had been planning on mortifying Dick ever since he heard I was coming.

"Thank you, Alfred, for that lovely reminiscing time," Dick cut in. "But Barbara and I really should go talk to Bruce."

Alfred beamed. "Anytime, young Master Richard. Have a pleasant evening!" Alfred bustled off to go get more snacks.

"I like him," I said. Dick was silent. I laughed and then said, in a whisper, "You watched me? That's kind of sketchy…" He didn't answer, preoccupied with keeping his face from growing any redder. As he had said, Dick led me up one of the staircases and through the mob surrounding Bruce. We finally got within earshot of the man of the evening.

"Bruce!" Dick called. "Bruce!" Bruce's head swung around to look at the boy shouting for him, and upon seeing Dick's face, his smile widened to a grin.

"Dick!" He pushed through the crowd to get to us. "I'm so glad you could make it." He grabbed Dick in a large bear hug. After they got done with some small talk, Bruce turned to look at me. "And who's your beauty of a lady friend?"

Dick looped his arm with mine. "This is Barbara Gordon, daughter of our wonderful police commissioner. Isn't she something?" Bruce took my free hand and kissed it lightly.

"It's my deepest pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Gordon." My ears burned slightly, and I was glad my hair covered them.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mister Wayne," I replied. We would've stayed, but we could see Bruce was busy and didn't want to keep him—at least that's what Dick told him. Dick led me to a balcony area and I welcomed the cold December air to the hot, humidness of the Manor.

"What do you think of Bruce? He's different, huh?" I nodded.

"He's like a totally different person. I almost forgot for a moment that this was the same guy who could knock me out with one punch. He's good at what he does."

"He has to be," Dick said, leaning against the edge. I stood facing him awkwardly for a time. I was about to say something when Dick suddenly spoke. "Is everything alright? You've been acting funny lately." I cast my eyes downward.

"No, I'm not alright." I said this with a sigh and avoided looking at Dick's big, blue, pleading eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked affectionately. "I can help. Just tell me what's going on. Is it Bette? Don't let her bother you, Babs."

I looked up at him. "It's nothing like that… Actually… It's… You…" I said the last word so quietly, I could barely hear myself. But I knew that he had heard it—his face was crestfallen and he looked incredibly hurt.

"What?" he asked, disbelief and pain flooding his voice. "Me? What… What did I do? Just tell me and I'll fix it, I promise. I'll do anything, Babs—"

My eyes went wide. I walked closer to him, placing my hands on his wrists. "Dick, look at me." He sorrowfully met my gaze. "You haven't hurt me or done anything wrong." His countenance got much more hopeful. "It's just that what you've done makes me feel awful." Dick's face was filled with confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

I hesitated, my breath catching in my throat as I pictured the little four letter word, written so beautifully in his hand. "It's those letters…" He looked as if he was going to say something, so I put my hand up to his lips. "Just those last two—I like the letters, don't get me wrong. It just makes me feel inadequate. I mean, I've never said that to anyone, and you've written it twice. I guess I just feel guilty that I haven't ever said it to you…" Dick's eyes widened in realization. He grabbed my hands and looked at me warmly.

"That's why you're acting like this?" I gave him a small nod, feeling even more foolish. He pulled me into a hug. "It's okay. I know you care about me. If you don't feel ready to say it, then don't." We broke apart and he kissed my forehead. "It's just that I've loved you since I first saw you, freshman year." My eyes widened.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah…" He looked into my eyes.

"Tell me about it."

"About what?" he questioned.

I smiled. "About how you feel in love with me and stuff. I want to hear the whole thing." Dick sighed heavily.

"Alright. We should probably go somewhere a bit more private, though." He grabbed my hand and we ran back into the Manor. He went up another set of stairs that led to a massive hallway and ran all the way down it, turning left suddenly and going into a huge room. "This is my room here." I gaped at it. It was laid out exactly like his dorm room, only more expensive looking and extravagant. He undid his tie and took off his sports jacket. I kicked my shoes off and joined him on the bed, where he had sat down.

"Begin!" I said and he rolled his eyes.

"Now, you must understand one thing," he started. "My cover as Dick Grayson is to be a playboy like Bruce—only the type that's going out with about five girls at one time and generally breaking it off after a week. I was constantly 'falling in love'; and, I had done this all of my high school years. Not only that, I had mastered all the pickup lines and could get practically any girl I wanted. It was fun at first. But I started to realize I was actually hurting people. I talked to Bruce about it, but he said that I had to keep it up. If I became too close to someone, and one of our villains found out, they could use that person against us—and possibly hurt that person. Bruce's logic was sound. But still, as I went to college on the first day, I wanted to start real relationship." We had both laid down on the bed and our fingers were laced together. I smiled as I listened.

"The very first day, I talked to girl after girl. I didn't know who, exactly, I was looking for, but I didn't want a dumb blond, a jock, or some super smart girl—she might figure out who I was. I just aimlessly walked around campus, hoping to find at least one girl worth changing for. I was about to go back to my room when I saw you." Dick went quiet for a moment. "I know you didn't see me, but can you remember when you were unloading all of your stuff with your dad to take to your room?" I nodded. "That's when I first saw you. You were carrying a box and your dad dropped one on his foot. You helped him and began laughing, your hair falling beautifully around your shoulders, your eyes sparkling." His face suddenly darkened.

"Anyway, my heart almost beat out of my chest. I knew, at once, that you were the one I would change for. I didn't want to approach you just yet, though. I was afraid you had heard about me and would think I was just trying to hook up with you. So, instead, I went to the office and showed them a picture I had taken of you. I found out your name and at once went back to the Cave. I looked you up and read about your family, where you went to school, where your dorm was… Now that I think about it, I was kind of stalking you. Only not with malicious intent, mind you.

"I memorized your schedule and would watch you go to your classes, trying to figure out how best to approach you. Data and files couldn't tell me how you would react to me asking you out—someone who was a known player. Finally, though, I got fed up with waiting. I decided to just try it; after all, you could only reject me, right? How wrong I was… Do you remember what you said to me?"

I thought, calling to mind that cold January morning. "Well, you came up to me and said, "Hey." I just stared at you, I think. Then you asked me if I wanted to go out with you. I gave you this skeptical look and said, "I don't even know who the hell you are." Sorry about that. Anyway, then you looked at me cockily and said, "I'm only Dick Grayson, the hottest, richest, and most available guy at GSU." That pissed me off. I hate pompous rich jerks like that. I think I said something like I'd rather rot in hell and then left."

"More or less," he said, a smile in his voice. "I was distraught after that. It hadn't gone as I had planned at all. I thought you were just going to fall for me, right there, like all the others had. I was naïve in that aspect. But that didn't make me give up; I knew, then, that you must really be worth it. So, as you remember, I asked you out every day that week, being rejected more viciously every time. At one point I think you told me to, "Back the hell off, ass-hole." After that, I knew that it wouldn't work to be so direct. So, I figured I could be close to you if I just dated someone that came into contact with you often and always hang around with that girl.

"That didn't work, though, because, no offense, you're pretty antisocial and don't have a ton of friends. So I went for your roommate." I laughed as I recalled my first roommate, an extremely dumb and self-centered girl name Stephanie. "That didn't last long. And before I knew it, freshman year was over. I was set on you, though. I thought of you all the time; I couldn't get you out of my head. All during the summer I planned on how I could win you over.

"Once sophomore year started, I had a pretty good plan of how to get your attention. I wouldn't date a bunch of people, I would keep to myself; all for you to notice that I wasn't a rich, self-centered player. Unfortunately, when I tried to ask you out after the first quarter, you had remembered my pestering you the previous year. Crestfallen, I decided I would just watch you from afar. That's when I began watching you sleep. It was calming, peaceful even, for me to get to watch the one I cared about so desperately lie there with a smile on her lips that was never there when she saw me." My eyes clouded with tears when I remembered how mean and cruel I had been to him. "So, before I knew it, sophomore year was over, and I still hadn't won your approval.

"And now, junior year. I knew I had no chance of dating you, so I tried through your roommate again. Bette wasn't that bad—just interested in everything about me except for the me part. I finally got into your guys' room and when I saw your posters… A spark of hope lit in me. And then, when I saw you getting attacked, I was so excited; I know it sounds awful, but you know what I mean. Then, when you kissed me that first time…. Hmm…." Dick paused, and I, too, recalled our first kiss. "It was amazing. I finally had you. You were mine. And then I remembered that you only loved Robin." He chuckled darkly.

"Needless to say, it was more difficult than I thought it would be. I wanted to just tell you so badly. When I drove you to the mall the day after, it took all I had not to tell you, right there in the car. I didn't, though; I was afraid you wouldn't believe me, or wouldn't like me. So, when I had the chance to see you again that night, I took it." He went quiet as we both remembered that night. "If only Bette hadn't ruined it. But when I saw you rescue that girl, I had all I needed to tell you. I just had to convince Batman it would be alright. I begged him to let you join so I could tell you; I didn't say that, but he knew what I meant. And after you had stood up to Harley like that, I had all the firepower I needed. He couldn't bring the argument forward that you would be targeted—you had already been a target, and could be one later with your relation to the commissioner. He said he would let you join if, and only if, you could figure out who I was. That's when I asked for him to throw the party. He was suspicious, of course, but I managed to convince him. The rest is history." I sighed and scooted closer to him. "What about you? When did you fall for the Boy Wonder?"

I thought. "Sophomore year, mostly. That was when you started appearing in the news more often. I just noticed that you were everything I wanted in a guy—kind, courageous, handsome, real. You weren't concerned with 'getting the girl' and were always focused on helping people in need. I had never met anyone like that and I find it highly attractive." We both were lying on our sides so that we could look at each other. "But now that I see that you were just pretending as Dick, I kinda like him too. I might even go as far as to say that I love him." We both smiled and he reached for me.

It began slowly, as we always did. But it stayed slow. Dick reached behind my neck and his tongue danced with mine, but leisurely, opposed to the tangling it usually did. Eventually, though, we got faster, and Dick leaned over me, kissing me fuller. He went down my chin and neck, like he had back at his room, leaving me to simply enjoy the kiss from there. He came back, though, and he continued to play with my tongue. After a time we broke apart. "Do you want to go back out there?" he asked.

"Not really," I said. He smiled.

"Let's change into something a bit more comfortable, then." Dick got up and went to his closet. He pulled out a two pairs of sweatpants and two shirts. He threw one set of clothes at me. "I'm going to change first. Look away… if you want." My ears burned and he undid the buttons of his dress shirt. I was staring at his exposed chest and shook my head when I realized it. "Maybe I should keep this off," he chuckled, throwing the shirt he had brought out to the ground. He went to undo his pants and I closed my eyes. He laughed loudly and announced he was done. "Your turn."

I stood up and looked at him expectantly. I couldn't reach the zipper to my dress, and was waiting for Dick to realize that. It was easy to tell when he did. His face blossomed to a deep red and I smiled as he came towards me. I turned around and grabbed my hair, holding it out of his way. His warm hands grabbed the zipper and he pulled it all the way down. Fortunately, I had donned a bra that still had its straps and I pulled them over my shoulders. I kicked the dress off to reveal my spandex, and I put on the pants and loose fitting T-shirt. Finally, I took off the diamond jewelry I had received that same day. "I'm decent," I said and Dick turned to face me.

"Took you long enough," he said, kissing me. I fell on the bed and smiled as my lips were forced apart by his increasingly needy tongue. This time, he went fast and I was falling behind. I was glad he had left off his shirt, for it would have just gotten in the way. Usually he left an amount of space between our hips, but I pulled them down, leaving no space between us. Breath came harder and harder to me, and Dick began kissing my neck, allowing me to pant and recover my lungs. To kiss my neck better, Dick had pulled his hips back up; in retaliation, I wrapped my legs around his hips, eliminating all space once again.

Eventually I became hot and we stopped. He rolled off of me and we were both breathing heavily. I pulled off the shirt and was just in my bra top. Dick noticed and jumped on me, kissing my neck and chest. I wrenched him back up to my lips, though, and we kissed there. After a long while he rolled off of me again and we lied there, tired. "I should probably get you back to your dorm," he said, getting up and putting his shirt on. I sat up, huffing.

"No…" He turned and looked at me. "Can't I stay with you?"

"Sorry, Babs," he said, smiling sadly. "You'll have to stay at your place. But once you move on Saturday… That's another story." He winked and took me to his car, out through a back door of the Manor where no one would see us. We got in his Corvette and he drove me back to the campus swiftly.

Dick walked me back to my dorm and stood awkwardly outside the entrance. "Can't you just come up?" I asked.

"No… I would but Bette might be there, and lately we've been getting… louder." My ears burned, but I knew he was telling the truth.

"Well…" I sighed, walking over to him and looping my arms around his neck. "Good night," I whispered in his ear. He went to kiss me, but I pulled away. "Not until I get my apartment." Dick glared, but it was gone in an instant. Instead, he kissed my hand and I went up to my room and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.


	15. Chapter 15

My classes for the next few days passed by in a grayish blur. They were horribly boring, and as I went through the days themselves, they seemed to never end. But, before I knew it, Friday night had come and gone and I was waking to Saturday—moving day. I got up at once and began to look around the room excitedly. Bette was practically passed out in her bed and I quietly got most of my things ready. I would ask Dick what I needed to bring for my new apartment—as far as a bed, dresser, or television. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was eight-thirty; I rolled my eyes. I knew that Dick wouldn't even come near the dorm until Bette was gone. To pass the time, I lied back on my bed and pulled out a book I hadn't already devoured.

Before I knew it, Bette was up and around, getting ready for, what I guessed what a day out. She offered me a quick, "See ya," and was gone. At once, I jumped out of the bed and made it quickly. I opened the window in anticipation of Dick's entrance, and was not disappointed when not five minutes later he was sitting on the window frame.

"You ready?" he asked. I smiled.

"About. What all should I bring?"

He rubbed his chin in mock thought. I rolled my eyes and put my hands on my hips. "Just your personal stuff—toiletries, clothes, books. All the furniture will already be there; courtesy of Wayne Enterprises Scholarships." He winked and hopped onto the floor. We finished packing up all my stuff and we carried it all out to the parking lot.

"Wait," I said, suddenly thinking straight, and he halted. "How are we going to take all of this stuff—and my motorcycle—in your sports car?"

Dick shook his head and smiled. "I'm smarter than you think." He kept leading the way and took me to a bright red pickup truck. Dick put all my stuff in the back while I ran and drove my bike over. We managed to heft it into the back and I got in the truck next to him. "Let's go see your new home." Dick started the truck and drove on the side road that lead about three miles away from campus to the rich homes. Within five minutes of winding through quiet streets finely trimmed with green lawns, even in December, he pulled into the parking lot of the wealthiest looking apartment complex. My eyes widened.

"This can't be where it is," I breathed. Dick just laughed. We took everything up to my room—which was on the top floor—and Dick handed me the keys. I opened the pure whitewashed door and gasped.

The apartment was massive. All of the flooring in the entrance was bamboo, shined to a glossy perfection. The walls were a pale, but friendly yellow and I walked to the bathroom; it, too, was huge. The floor was a white linoleum tile, with random grooves that gave my feet extra traction. There was a shower with frosted glass door and a large Jacuzzi tub. The counter-top was a sandy brown granite color, matching the walls' tan complexion. I left the bathroom and headed to the kitchen and dining room area.

The bamboo flooring continued in both areas. The counter-tops in the kitchen were dark black granite, going with the ebony cabinets. There was no island, but more counter space I could have hoped for. I next went to the makeshift dining room—it was connected to the kitchen and wasn't its own room. There was a dark wooden table with four corresponding chairs. The walls here were a pale lilac instead of the yellow of the entrance. I marveled at the entire space, open and welcome and friendly. Dick took my hand and pulled me out to the living room.

This was small, comparatively. I didn't mind, though; it was bigger than anything I had had at the dorm. There was simply a black leather loveseat sitting in front of a large sixty inch flat screen. I gaped at the whole room—accented with a few paintings and houseplants. "We'll come back here, later," Dick whispered, causing my ears to flame. He once again reached for my hand and pulled me into what I assumed was my bedroom.

The room was…. Plush. A thick, fluffy carpet dominated my feet and I stared in awe of what was now my room. The walls were a deep blue. A chest of drawers was pushed up against the wall, a deep ebony. The thing that was demanding of attention, though, was the bed. It was a king-size four poster, with posh looking blue sheets. I immediately went over to it and lied down, allowing the cushiness of it to comfort me. He came and lied next to me, sighing. "Well…" He trailed off expectantly.

"Well what?" I asked playfully. I knew what he wanted… It was just a question of whether or not I would comply.

"You know what." I could hear the smile in his voice, although I couldn't see it.

"I need to get at least a little unpacked. Let me put all my clothes and toiletries away. Clothes first; as I'm putting away the other stuff you can stay here and… get ready." I ran out to the hallway and grabbed my suitcase, quickly returning to my bedroom. I unpacked as hastily as I could and finished; I then ran to the bathroom and Dick entered the room. I practically threw my things in the bathroom, knowing I would be exasperated later with the task of putting everything in the proper place—but that would be when my boyfriend wasn't here and currently waiting for me. I finished and walked to my door and stood, waiting. I took a deep breath and entered.

The lights were dimmed, instantly creating a sensual ambiance. My eyes went to the bed and I saw him, lying there shirtless. My ears flared up at once and I quietly approached him. He sat up when I got closer and I took a seat next to him. He looked at me and smiled softly. "We're not going too far."

"Whatever you say," I breathed and melted into him.

Our lips had just met when a buzzing came from the living room. Dick groaned and he told me to go check the television. I curiously walked out of my room and looked at the television—and was not entirely surprised to see Batman on the screen. "Hello, Barbara," he said, totally in monotone. "I hope I'm interrupting. I wanted to make sure this was working. Please respond."

"Uh… Hey?" I was totally caught off guard; he was moving so fast, I didn't know what to say.

"Good. Now, please come to the Cave. I assume Dick is there with you and can drive you. We will train until ten o'clock. See you soon." The television clicked off. I sighed and saw Dick peek around the corner of my bedroom door.

"Well, we should get going," he said and pulled his shirt over his head. We headed for the door of my new home and went out to the parking lot and drove to the Cave.

This time Dick stayed, much to Batman's dissent. I got changed and we did basic training until six. Then, suddenly, Batman stopped and ordered Dick to change to his Robin suit. He did and then spoke to us. "Batgirl, you're going to go out on the street today. You will be attempting to find Robin and capture him, as if he were a villain. He is going to be much tougher than any of the other random thugs, but that will be good practice. Robin, go. Do not make this easy." Robin nodded and got on his cycle, speeding out of the cave. "I will be observing you from afar; this is much like a test, but I will help you if you need a clue of where to look or how to defeat him. But that will cause there to be a 'bad mark' on your 'grade'." We stood in silence and Batman just looked at me. "Go." My chest instantly filled with butterflies and I got on my own cycle.

.3.

I zoomed out of the Cave at an alarming rate. The wind pulled at my helmet, and I was grateful for the protection it gave my eyes. I had no idea where to even begin looking. I pushed the com button of the side of my helmet, contacting Batman. "What am I supposed to do, exactly?"

"Look for clues Robin left behind. Once you find him, you'll have to fight him. Think of it like a game of hide and seek." He buzzed off and I focused on the road. I knew that it could be anything, anywhere. Batman didn't mention any sort of bounds, and he had told Robin to make sure it wasn't easy for me. I sighed and drove into Gotham City.

I found an abandoned building to stash my bike in and did so. I grappled onto the roof of that same building with much difficulty and clumsily heaved myself up. Surveying the city, I gave a small, sad smile as I saw the billows of smoke coming from factories and heard the occasional scream. As I looked at the building across from the rooftop I was standing on, I saw a small, red 'R' painted on the window. I managed to grapple of to this building and got inside the room with the correct window.

I walked closer to it and found a small note stuck under the window. I pulled it out and read: "This is a little bit different from my usual notes, huh? Anyway, I'm supposed to give you a clue so you can come find me. He only told me to give you one, though, so it's got to be pretty hard. Sorry! " I smiled subconsciously. "When we first met, we stood under a certain type of tree. That tree can also be found in one other place in Gotham. Come find me." He didn't close the letter, which left me a little upset, but I knew he was just being formal.

I shook my head and focused on the letter. The tree we were standing under when we first met? I searched my mind, trying to remember that day…

The January morning bit at my skin. I pulled my thick coat closer around my body and shivered. It sucked being a freshman, here at GSU. I was an easy target for anyone who cared to bully me, but my dad's status as commissioner helped cut that back. But still; people found ways to indirectly persecute me. So, when a suave looking boy came towards me and my ears began to burn, I instantly put my guard up.

"Hey." I stared at him. I had no idea who this guy was, but he was gazing smugly at me. Suddenly he looped his arm around my shoulders and said, "Would you mind joining me for dinner this evening?" I glanced at him cynically.

"Look, I don't even know who the hell you are. Why would I want to go out with you?" I replied. This didn't seem to break his stride. He just kept looking at me, flooded with overconfidence.

"I'm only Dick Grayson, the hottest, richest, and most available guy at GSU." My ears flushed and I instantly became upset. I had heard about this guy—he was only interested in women until they had slept with him. Then, he ditched them and never saw them ever again. I glared fiercely at him.

"Personally, I'd rather rot in hell then date a pompous player like you, Mister Grayson." I turned with a huff and went to my class, looking up at the bare Purpleleaf Plum tree, found exclusively on the GSU Campus, brought here by the botany department.

My eyes flew open and the memory faded as I was wrenched back to reality. A Purpleleaf Plum tree, that was what I was looking for; but I had a slight problem. As far as I could remember, those trees were still exclusive to the university campus. I decided to go back to my computer and attempt to look it up. However, when I went to bike to get my miniature laptop—one that Batman had procured for me—I found it was gone. All that was there was a note that said, "No cheating. ~R" I rolled my eyes and got on the bike.

I decided to just drive around the city until I found the tree. I knew that there wouldn't be any trees in the downtown area, so I took to driving around the suburbs and parks.

I had been driving for about two hours and it was nearing eight thirty. I sighed blearily and wished desperately to just be home in my newly furnished and extravagant apartment. I was driving through the last neighborhood, and had made a promise with myself that, if it wasn't here, I would ask Batman for a hint. Sure enough, I came to the edge of the community and I pushed the com on my helmet. "I can't find the tree."

"There's most likely more than one meaning in the note; or maybe the location is glaring you in the face, it's so obvious. Read it again." He buzzed out. Pulling over, I grabbed the note from my utility belt's storage compartment. I reread it again and again, trying to find some other meaning. I racked my brain, thinking of any other place there was a Purpleleaf Plum. There are two at the campus…. I thought; and then it hit me. There were two at GSU. One was on the south side of campus, the other on the north. We had met under the tree by the north entrance. There wasn't another tree off the campus; but there was only one other place that had that specific tree. I slapped my hand to my forehead and sped back to the campus.

I got to the south entrance in a matter of minutes and sprinted to where the tree was. I skidded to a halt, chest heaving and looked around for him. "C'mon. Come out! I know you're here!" I heard a chuckle and Robin landed with a soft thud from the tree.

"Took you long enough," he said and got into a fighting stance.

I jumped at him, attempting to punch his face. "Sorry," I huffed. "I searched all of Gotham before I realized that there are only two trees in the entire city." He neatly dodged my fist and kicked me in the stomach, causing me to reel backward. I turned it into a back handspring, but he was ready and took my feet out from under me as soon as I landed, dropping me on my back. The wind was totally knocked out of me, but I got up as fast as I could. "Want to go a little easy on me?" I teased, but secretly wishing he would give me a break.

"Can't," he said, whirling around me in a flurry of red, yellow, and black. "Batman ordered me to try to take you down. I plan on doing what he says; it'll help you become a better fighter." Robin went to punch my shoulder and I ducked, just in time. I returned with a kick to the side and he flopped to the ground—if only for a second. He rebounded out of the fall and winked at me as I stared at him, mouth agape. "Trying to catch flies?" he asked cheekily, running at me again.

I snapped my mouth closed and leaped out of the way and kicked him in the back. We kept fighting, no one really getting anywhere, until, suddenly, I heard Batman in my ear. "Robin. You're going easy. Take her out." I got goose-bumps and my breath came faster as I saw the noticeable change in Robin's demeanor. He became more direct and forceful, hitting my side and stomach strategically. It was all I could do to stay vertical. I tried to land a few more punches before he landed a solid kick to my stomach that sent me flying backwards. I landed, hard, on the ground and groaned, trying to get up. That plan failed miserably. "Good. Batgirl, you now know what we will be working on. Hand-to-hand combat; Robin start coming to her training sessions. I want her to have a sparring partner so I can watch and correct her. You are both dismissed, but I suggest you come and put your outfits back before starting… other things. Good night." The com clicked off and I gazed confusedly up at Robin. I was still a little dizzy from out fight.

"Let's go," Robin said, helping me up. We went back to the Cave, changed, and then Dick took me home. After a brief kiss good-night, Dick left and I was alone. I pondered the fight and knew how I would take him next time.


	16. Chapter 16

Six Months Later

I was breathing hard and fast as Robin and I waged war against each other in the training room at the Cave. My breath was controlled, though, and I was making Robin work. Cool air was being pumped into the space by silent vents, masking the hot humidity of the June atmosphere. Robin and I were attacking and dodging in a flurry of moves; I refused to give in, though. I had always lost before, so I was determined to finally win.

However, my wish was not to come today. With a resounding thunk I sprawled on the ground from Robin's kick to my back. "Down. Nice work, Batgirl. You're getting better. Tomorrow will be your final test. If you pass, you'll get to go on a patrol by yourself. See you both tomorrow." Batman left us alone and Robin and I changed and went back to his car.

It was still fairly early—in fact, I had been surprised by how early Batman had dismissed us. It was only about seven o'clock, opposed to the usual ten o'clock releasing time. As Dick drove me home, I stretched in his car and sighed in contentment. I glanced over at him and noticed how focused he looked; a small smile played on his lips and I wondered why. All too soon, I knew.

"Dick, why'd you turn off right here?" We usually turned off of the highway after about six more miles; I could see no reason for him to turn off so soon.

"I'm taking you somewhere a little different today," he said, the smile blossoming to a full grin. I turned to look out the window and saw high cliff-like areas; my ears began burning when Dick pulled the car up to the edge of one of the cliffs and he stopped it. He twisted around to gaze at me. "If you don't want to be here, just say the word."

My ears were on fire as I put together where we were. "I think I can handle myself." I leaned toward him and found his soft lips. I parted my lips unexpectedly in an attempt to grab his tongue—instead of his taking mine—but was sorely disappointed. Dick laughed through the kiss and I suddenly pulled away. "That was a preview. Take me home and you'll get the full length version." Dick eyebrows went up and at once he started the car.

We got back to my apartment and even to my bedroom before Dick's cell phone began ringing. He rolled his eyes and took the call. "Hello. Yes. I said yes. Then why'd you ask? Fine. I'll be there soon. Yeah. Bye." I furrowed my brow and looked up at him. "The Penguin just triggered an alarm at the Gotham Museum. I need to meet Batman there. Sorry, Babs." He kissed my forehead and was gone in a flash. I sighed and turned on the television, hoping to catch some of the fight.

On the GC News channel there was full coverage of the stand off going on at the museum. "There's still no sign of Batman and Robin," Vicki Vale said, strain obvious in her voice. "Penguin has already killed two hostages waiting for our heroes to show up and—oh! Here they are!" The camera swung around to catch Batman and Robin swooping in to the building. They got inside—by what looked like an air vent—and the camera went back to Vicki. "The Dynamic Duo is now inside the museum. Let's hope things start to go better."

The coverage went on for another hour or so and I watched the entire time, hoping my two companions were alright. After another ten minutes of nervously staring at the television, Vicki Vale was brought back for live reporting. "It appears that the Penguin has been apprehended. Batman and Robin are coming out now…" The screen showed Batman walking alongside Robin who was leading the handcuffed and scruffy-looking Penguin to the police cars. After he was safely secured, the both of them pulled out their grappling guns and flew away. "Once again, our city has been saved by the famed Batman and Robin. On behalf of all of Gotham City, thank you. Now, let's go to Sean for a report on all the damage caused by—" I flicked the television off and got up, walking over to my door to wait for Dick to come back; hopefully he knew I was waiting here for him.

I had about given up the expectation when a knock came at the door. I quickly opened it and Dick came storming into my room. "What's wrong?" I asked cautiously, silently praying I hadn't done anything to upset him. He took a deep breath and looked at me.

"Nothing. Now, where were we?" He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my bedroom. "I just need to relax. I've been a little on edge lately." Dick took off his shirt and sat on the bed with a plop.

"Why've you been on edge?" I asked, sitting on top of him and pushing him horizontal. I leaned over him and put my face an inch away from his.

"No reason," he said and went for my lips. I pulled up, though.

"Nope," I said playfully as he grunted. "You're not getting anything from me until you tell me what's bugging you." He groaned and sighed. I smiled. "C'mon. Just tell me. The faster I know, the faster you get what you want." Dick looked at me blankly.

"I just feel that Batman under appreciates me sometimes. I don't know. Now can we start?" I smiled at him.

"Yes."

Dick hungrily pulled me down to him and I obliged willingly. He forced my mouth open and his tongue grappled with mine. I felt his hands go on my back and trail down until they rested on my hips. Dick rolled over so he was on top, expertly keeping the kiss going. We stayed kissing heatedly until I began drifting off to sleep. Dick laughed and fell off of me. "You're not allowed to leave," I said groggily, but determinedly.

"We'll see." I rolled my eyes and swiftly went to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

I awoke, not expecting to find Dick still with me, and I was right. In his place was a note. "Sorry about the late night ditch. I had to go patrol the city—Batman's orders. Anyways, see you later today at Danielle's Bistro, eleven thirty. Love, Dick." I smiled and got ready for the day, wanting to go to the mall and purchase a new book before my date with Dick. I ended up killing a few hours and got halfway through my book, finally deciding to head for the restaurant.

I got there promptly at eleven twenty-nine and found the little sidewalk café was bustling. Dick was sitting in the sun, pondering his meal choice as he looked over the menu. I came and sat down with him and a glass of water came sparkling out of a waiter's hand. Dick grinned at me brightly, his eyes dazzling in the vivid light. "Glad you could make it," he said.

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world." I picked up a menu and glanced at it quickly, not wanting to break away from Dick's line of sight. I hurriedly decided on a BLT with waffle fries for the side and ordered when the server returned. "So, what have you been up to lately?"

"Well, I've been kissing the most beautiful and fantastic woman I know to live, recently. What about you?"

"Oh, the same; only I've been kissing a man—the most handsome and intelligent person I know to exist."

"What are your plans for this evening?" Dick asked audaciously, feigning polite indifference. I smiled.

"Actually, if he comes over, I was hoping on doing the same thing tonight. That is, of course, only if he decides to visit me."

He gave me a childish grin as the waiter arrived with our food, placing it daintily in front of us and asking if we had any other requests. Dick hastily told him no and shooed him away. "I think that the possibility of him visiting is very likely."

"Oh, really?" I asked, making my eyes go wide with wonderment. "How do you know?"

"You see, I know the guy. He was going to come over anyway, but I'll let him know you'll be expecting him. At what time?"

I thought for a moment, stroking my chin comically. "Hmm… How about ten thirty? I have a previous engagement until ten tonight, so that should give me enough time to get home and freshen up. Can you deliver that message for me?"

"Of course." Dick winked knowingly at me. "Has he visited you before?"

"Oh, yes," I said animatedly. "He stops over quite often."

Dick nodded and poked at his sandwich. "What do you two do when he comes over?"

"Mostly kiss. There's some talking, but more kissing." My ears slightly heated and Dick laughed, finally getting the result he wanted.

We kept talking idly, not really delving into a very deep conversation. I saw him all the time and spent most of my time with him—there wasn't much that had happened between making out with him the previous night and coming here to have lunch with him. After another half hour or so of munching on our food and chatting, I had to leave him.

"What? Why?" he asked, pleading with his eyes to get me to stay.

"Well, not everyone has a billionaire for a dad—and therefore, they have jobs. I have to go get ready."

"Where do you work?" Dick asked, simulating virtuousness.

"No way are you getting that out of me. I'll see you tonight, seven o'clock." I bent down and gave him a quick kiss before leaving and heading for my apartment.

.3.

Work passed swiftly and easily. My job was at a physical fitness club and I was the cardio/judo instructor. It kept me in superior condition and allowed me to make good money as well. I just finished my final class and went back to my apartment, took a shower, and got on my bike to go to the Cave. I arrived at seven exactly and suited up. When I finished, I found Batman sitting at the usual table and no sign of Robin. He motioned for me to sit and I did, butterflies forming in my stomach.

"Today is your final test," he said, in total monotone. I nodded nervously. "If you fail, I will keep you in training. If you succeed, you will join Robin and me on actual missions. Understood?" I nodded again. "Your test is to find and beat Robin; just like the first one. Begin." I got up at once and ran over to Batgirl's bike. The engine purred coolly and I pulled onto the dirt road that led away from the Cave and to the city.

I drove to the outskirts of Gotham and parked my bike inside an abandoned building. Grappling to the roof of the nearest structure, I stared at the scenery and decided to head for the tallest edifice in all of the city—the Wayne Enterprises tower. Between grappling and gliding with my newly extended cape, I was perched on the rooftop within a few minutes. I stared out at the outline of the city and picked up my phone when it vibrated suddenly. "Stuck? I'll give you a hint… Yum, popcorn!" I immediately made the connection and glided to the nearest movie theater, called Popcorn King. There was a small red not attached to the window and I picked it up. "Yay! You found me! Just kidding. Next hint: the area of a triangle with all sides equaling six. Greek fruit."

Pulling out my calculator, I found that the triangle was 15.59, while a Greek fruit I knew to be an olive. I closed my eyes and thought how they were connected… I opened them at once and realized it was an address—1559 Olive Lane. I grappled over to the place and found it to be a condemned apartment complex with another note stuck to the front door. "Bring you best pal here to run and play." A dog park. Robin's clues were getting easier…

The park was closed up, but a small crimson note was left taped to the gate. "This is such a wild Goose chase. XD" I shook my head and laughed silently. I went to the most expensive grocery in town; the only one that sold goose. The note I found stuck to the garbage bin out back. After Robin had taken me to a restaurant, the zoo, a bank, two random houses and the public library, I finally read this: "Come find me. You should know where." My heart stopped at reading this. How was I supposed to know where to go? I sat down with a huff outside of the library and looked at all the notes I had gotten from him. In all of them a few letters were written in darker. I tilted my head to the side and wrote them all out.

I looked at my handiwork and read the letters. "P, p, m, r, l, e, u, l, u, a, p, e, f, l." I stared at them, wondering what they meant. Eventually, I decided to try unscrambling them and wasn't disappointed. "Purpleleaf Plum." I smiled and grappled over to GSU Campus, wondering which tree it was. I tried the one at the south entrance first, but when I saw that he wasn't there, I ran over to the north one—the one at which we had met.

"Robin." I spoke his name confidently and he hopped out of the tree.

"Well done," he said, eyes gleaming. "You know what comes next, right?" He was grinning impishly at me and I readied myself for the fight.

"Yep." As soon as I had spoken the syllable, Robin launched himself at me. He was upon me in seconds, not holding back. I ducked from his punch and swung my foot around, taking his feet out from under him. He hopped up immediately and kicked me, hard, in the side. I fell with the impact, though, softening it some, and cart wheeled out of the way. Robin ran up to me and I grabbed his arms, keeping him close but not allowing him to hit me. I knew I wasn't going to win like this; he had always been stronger than me and had more experience. I racked my brain, trying to think of a way to beat him—when it hit me.

I pulled Robin's arms aside and leaned forward, kissing him. His limbs went still at once and wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I opened my mouth and he swathed his tongue around mine. I smiled, my plan working brilliantly, and, without warning, I kneed him in the groin. Robin collapsed and let out a groan. "I win," I said brightly, cuffing him. Unexpectedly, Batman materialized out of nowhere, smiling.

"Good work, Batgirl. Robin, you should have seen that coming." Robin glared at his mentor in reply. "You pass, Batgirl. Gotham will now meet their newest hero. I will see you soon." He grappled smoothly away and I turned to Robin, helping him up.

"That was a cheep move. Sorry," I admitted. "I knew there was no chance of me beating you otherwise, and I really want to actually be in the field. It's boring to just punch a sandbag. Do you forgive me?" I looked up at him with doe eyes, trying my best to make his heart melt, like he often did to me.

A small smile graced his lips. "Sure." I grinned widely. "Let's go." He walked off without waiting for me, and when I told him I had to go get my bike, he shrugged me off and told me to go get it by myself.

"Robin, are you okay? I really am sorry… Are you angry at me?"

He wouldn't meet my gaze. "It's not you. It's nothing, really. Just leave me alone." He pulled himself away from my grip and stalked off.

"Stop. This is more than 'nothing' Dick. Tell me what's wrong." I stared determinedly at him, telling myself I wouldn't let him just walk away after that. "Talk to me. I can't help you if you won't tell me what's going on. C'mon, say something, don't just stand there is silence, obviously upset, I want—"

"It's him!" Robin shrieked. My eyes went wide at the tone of his voice and I slightly recoiled. "It's always him!" He grappled away and left me there, alone, wondering what Batman had done to make him so furious.


	18. Chapter 18

My first real mission came three days later. I had just got home when my cell phone beeped loudly. "Hello?" I said cautiously, not recognizing the number.

"Batman. We've found a clue left by the Riddler. Come to the Cave at once." I threw my groceries in the fridge and sprinted to my bike, starting it at once and speeding to the gravel road that led to our hideout. I skidded to a halt, got my suit on, and joined Batman and Robin in the central hub.

"What's up?"

"Here's the clue," Robin said in monotone, handing me a piece of green paper. I unfolded it and read the message.

**Click, clack, Cadillac, Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne;**

**Click, clack, little Bat, big flame, big flame.**

I was baffled. "Well, I'm baffled," I said, handing it to Batman.

"Are you really?" he asked, gazing at me. "It obviously involves Bruce Wayne; but we know that he is safe. Read it again." I did so.

"Is he going to try to torch one of your cars?" I asked sheepishly.

"No," Robin said, his eyes laughing at me. "Wayne Enterprises is currently holding a car show in the Gotham City Event Center, showcasing specifically Cadillac's. All the money the ticket sales bring is going directly to help those in extreme poverty in Africa. We're guessing that Riddler is going to attempt a case of mass arson and destroy all the cars. Try to be more aware of current events."

"Exactly. So, we will be hidden inside the Event Center, waiting for Riddler." Robin glared at the back of Batman's head. "He won't be able to resist making a display of himself before setting fire to the whole place. Let's go." The three of us went over to our respective vehicles and revved the engines before zooming out of the Cave.

.3.

We parked our automobiles inside an abandoned warehouse and grappled smoothly onto the roof of the Event Center. "We'll wait here and just observe until Riddler shows or the show gets over—whichever comes first. Robin, take the east side of the building, Batgirl, take the south. I'll take the north and west. If you see anything, radio it to the rest of us immediately. Understood?" We nodded in unison and headed in the directions we had been assigned.

I sat on the edge of the edifice, bored-ness flooding over me. I had been watching this same entrance gate for two hours without a peep from either of my cohorts. I pushed the com on the side of my head and inquired, "Have you guys seen anything… 'Cause I haven't."

"There's no sign of Riddler from my side either."

"Keep watch. There's no way of knowing when he'll show. Stay vigilant." I took my orders from Batman seriously and began dubiously scanning the grounds again. Another hour had passed and I had about given up hope of ever doing anything exciting when I spotted a bright green van with a large purple question mark on it.

"I see a van that probably belongs to Riddler," I said into the com, fear flooding my voice.

"I have one, too," Robin said.

"There are some coming from my directions as well," Batman informed. "Everyone go after the van from your direction. I'll get my two." I saw him go swooping for the van out of the corner of my eye, followed by Robin. The nerves welled up inside of me and I held my breath as I leaped from the height and glided swiftly toward the oncoming van.

I landed with a crash on the hood of the van, smashing it in. The driver was knocked out by the impact, but the passenger came bursting out in a flurry of gunfire. He aimed at me and fired, the kickback of the gun and his own nerves sending the bullets wildly off target. I charged him and punched him solidly in the head, propelling him to the ground and successfully knocking him out; the battle didn't end there, though.

More armored thugs came out of the back of the van—four nasty pieces of work, all with machine guns. I slid three batarangs out of my belt and prayed they would fly true. Whipping them out, I closed my eyes and heard three resounding _thunks_. My eyes soared open and I saw that I had knocked the three thugs to the ground, getting the guns out of their hands as well. The remaining foe that was standing was thrashing about, trying to figure out what had happened to his comrades. I took advantage of his lapse in concentration and jumped at him, kicking him in the head. The other men got up and I found myself dodging, punching, and kicking at them with grace and ease.

In five minutes I had all but one man laid out and I decided to question this final assailant. "Where's Riddler?" I asked him, trying to make my voice sound low and menacing.

"I don't know, lady! He must be in one of the other trucks! He wouldn't tell us which one!" I glared at him and tied a gag around his mouth—Batman might want to interrogate him. I pushed the com on the side of my helmet and relayed the information that I had to the other two.

"Riddler was hiding in the back of my second van," Batman said. "He had a bomb that was rigged to first explode and coat the nearest places with gasoline, closely followed by a second explosion that would light the gas. I diffused it and the police have Riddler in custody. Good work tonight everyone." I smiled as the com went dead and was about to grapple away when I heard the voices of the civilians I had just saved.

"Who is she?" one woman whispered.

"Is she with Batman?"

"There's a symbol on her chest. She works with Batman!"

"Miss! Miss! Are you with Batman?"

"Thank you for saving us! What are you called?

"Bat-lady? Bat-person? Bat-woman?"

"Batgirl," I managed to mumble out, overwhelmed by the sudden attention.

"Batgirl? Her name is Batgirl! Thank you, Batgirl!"

"Oh, it was nothing," I said, stronger. Suddenly lights began flashing as reporters popped up among the curious bystanders. I smiled and said, "I will always be here to help Gotham. Good-bye!" I grappled away to applause and the flashes of cameras.

.3.

Pulling into the Cave, I couldn't stop smiling. But, unfortunately, the rest of my friends didn't share my enthusiasm.

"Am I totally worthless or just kind of?" I heard Robin shouting. My heart immediately dropped and I kept silent.

"You are not totally worthless—"

"Oh, so kind of. Thanks. Do I matter to you at all? You only seem to ignore me. Oh, wait, you're Batman—you don't need anyone. All that matters is the mission, right?" Robin suddenly came storming by me, throwing his mask to the ground. "I'm done. I'm done being Robin for you."

"Richard, stop, you don't know what you're doing," Batman yelled, trying to calm him down. But it was not use; he was already gone. "Damn it." I looked at him, preparing myself to ask him the question that was in my head.

"What's going on with Dick?" I finally asked.

"He's gotten this crazy idea in his mind that I don't appreciate him." Batman spat the words out, as if they tasted like acid. "I do. I really do, Barbara. I just don't thank him as constantly anymore; I don't feel like I should have to. I've been expecting this, though," he said, sadness seeping into his tone. "I knew that there would be a time when he wanted more than I could give him. He needs to strike out on his own. Good-night, Barbara." Batman trailed off, walking up the stairs to the Manor. I stood there, mouth agape, wondering if Dick really was okay.


	19. Chapter 19

There was a sudden knock on my door. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was one thirty. I groaned and got up groggily and made my way to the door.

I opened it and was met with a kiss. "Dick," I mumbled, pulling away. "What is it?" I peered at him through tired eyes and noted his outfit—a long traveling cloak.

"Barbara," he said, but stopped, his throat closing mid-word.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" I asked, trying to keep the pain and hurt from overflowing my voice, and failing miserably. "_Why_?"

Dick swept me up in his arms, pulling me so close I could barely breathe. He eventually pulled me back and he saw my eyes were shining with tears. "I have to get out of Gotham. I can barely be in the same room as Bruce, let alone go on missions with him. I need some time to go find myself, discover who I am without him around. Please, understand, Barbara," he continued, cupping my cheek in his hand and brushing a stray tear away, "this is not because of you in any way. In fact, I wish you would come with me; but I know you won't. You couldn't desert your family like that—and you still need time to train with Batman. I just ask," he said, ducking his head. "I just ask that you don't hate me." He looked back up at me. "Please." I leaned forward and gently touched his lips with my own.

"Where are you going?" I asked once we had broken apart, my voice stronger.

"I'm not sure, exactly. I was thinking of heading to Blüdhaven, as a start. I'll be sure to call, often. I just wanted to say good-bye." I smiled sadly at him, knowing that this was probably for the best.

"Come back in the fall, okay?" I requested, and he nodded. "Well… Until then." I found his lips again, and then, without warning, he was gone.

.3.

The next day was pretty rough. Batman and I went out on a mission, but neither of us talked much, both thinking about Dick. And, after three months and him not showing up when I started my senior year at GSU, Batman and I had become like a well-oiled machine and I stopped thinking about Richard all the time. Sure, it was hard; but I knew he was happier, glad to be away from Bruce. I would occasionally get a text from him, but they were always brief, never really stating what he was doing. It wasn't until I was watching the national news that I heard anything about what he was doing, superhero-wise.

I was walking around my room, bored to tears. Batman and I had just taken out Two-Face the night before and he was allowing me a night off. So, naturally, I watched television. However, the reality shows and soap operas just reminded me of _him_, so I flicked to the national news channel. I sat down and uninterestedly watched—in fact, I had almost dozed off when I heard the word "Blüdhaven". Immediately, I bolted upright and watched the screen.

"In Blüdhaven they seem to have a new hero," the reporter said. "Calling himself 'Nightwing', the newcomer has already saved the city four times from different terrorist or local threats." A photo of Nightwing filled the screen, and I knew it was Richard.

"Do they have any idea who this person is?" the female anchor asked.

"No. But, some believe he is the same man that was Robin—until, of course, the Boy Wonder disappeared from Gotham City. Many citizens believe they are the same person. Why is he here? We don't know. But the civilians of Blüdhaven are glad to know someone is there, looking out for them."

I sighed sadly, but smiled, knowing that's what Richard wanted. To be recognized to be known; to be wanted. I went to turn off the television set when they kept talking about Nightwing. "However, he hasn't been seen lately," the reporter began again. "There was a recent attack on the Blüdhaven National Bank, and Nightwing was no where to be found."

"Perhaps he went back to Gotham for a reunion?" the other anchor asked.

"Perhaps. But he hasn't been seen for about a week. Wherever he is, the citizens of Blüdhaven want to convey their thanks and wishes that he will return." With that final statement I turned the television off.

I walked happily back to my bed and lied down, grinning at the ceiling; he might be coming back. Maybe, just maybe, Dick was returning for a visit. I could barely close my eyes with how excited I was, but I eventually found sleep and drifted uneasily when a light tapping came from my door. I hopped up eagerly, hoping it was Dick, telling me he had changed his mind and would, in fact, be coming back and staying. I grabbed the door handle, not taking notice of the acrid smell of blood and a sweet fragrance, and completely ignored the dark laugh that erupted when I pulled open the door to reveal a white face with green hair and a gun that went off with a _bang_ and cut me in half.

"Oh, _Jimmy_….." the figure said forebodingly, standing over me and covering me in his sick stench. "You _really_ shouldn't have let your darling daughter move away…"

**Author's Note: ~Fin~ _Cliffhanger_, I know. XD I hope you enjoyed my little adventure. Thank you to everyone who Favorited/Alerted or Reviewed! I greatly appreciate the support… Now, go read my other stories! JK …But not really. XD**

**Should I make a continuation of this? One relating to the New 52 where Babs is back in action? Leave your thoughts in the comments! Thanks again!**

**Cordially, LadyFrederic ;D**

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